Maxwell Technologies Introduces 15-Volt Ultracapacitor Packs, Modules
New BOOSTCAP products ease integration of high-power, longer-life, alternatives to batteries for consumer, industrial, and transportation applications
San Diego -- Maxwell Technologies today announced the introduction of 15-volt BOOSTCAP ultracapacitor packs and modules that provide easy-to-integrate energy storage and power delivery solutions for a wide range of consumer and industrial electronics and transportation applications.
Richard Smith, Maxwell's executive VP of strategic business development, said that the new packs and modules, each of which incorporates six BOOSTCAP BCAP0350 flashlight battery-size ultracapacitor cells, give system designers "plug and play" 15-volt building blocks that can supplement or replace 12-volt batteries in electronic systems with varying voltage and current requirements.
"Ultracapacitors' burst power capabilities and life-of-the application longevity make them a preferred energy storage and power delivery option for many applications," Smith said. "These packs and modules deliver Maxwell's BOOSTCAP ultracapacitor technology in compact, fully integrated units."
Both the packs and modules incorporate active or passive cell balancing and pack-to-pack or module-to-module balancing. The packs are enclosed in lightweight shrink-wrap plastic packaging; the modules are enclosed in a rugged aluminum chassis.
"By adopting the industry standard D cell form factor for our 350-farad BCAP0350, Maxwell was able to reduce cell manufacturing cost by about 50 percent, and we are passing those savings along to our original equipment manufacturer customers," Smith said. "These new packs and modules provide those cost savings plus added benefits in the form of safe, reliable, easy-to- integrate, multi-cell solutions that reduce time-to-market for our customers."
In September, Maxwell introduced 48-volt POWERCACHE rack-mount modules to provide short-term "bridge" power for uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems for telecommunications, industrial, and medical applications (see related story). Smith said that the company is developing several additional 15-to-50-volt ultracapacitor packs and modules for other applications ranging from fuel cells to automotive subsystems and hybrid vehicle drive trains.
Maxwell's BOOSTCAP ultracapacitors deliver up to 10 times the power and longevity of batteries, require no maintenance, and operate reliably in extreme temperatures. In transportation applications, they efficiently recapture energy from braking for reuse in the vehicle drive train, reducing fuel consumption and emissions. In mission critical industrial applications, where backup power is critical for continued operation or a soft shutdown in the event of power interruptions, they provide reliable, cost-effective, maintenance-free energy storage. In wind turbine pitch and braking systems and other industrial applications, they provide a simple, solid state, highly reliable solution to buffer short-term mismatches between the power available and the power required.
BOOSTCAP ultracapacitors have a 10 year-life capability, deliver more than 500,000 discharge-recharge cycles and are resistant against reverse polarity. The cylindrical BCAP0350 cells, each rated at 2.5 volts, are constructed of aluminum, feature a round, double-ended design measuring 61.5 x 33 mm (L x OD), similar to EN 60086-2 and EN 60285 sizing, and weigh only 60 grams.
Source: Maxwell Technologies