Simulation and modeling of charging and discharging of supercapacitors

Abstract

Supercapacitors is the new technology that can be used to replace the battery or in parallel with battery with its fast charge-discharge characteristics. Possible applications of supercapacitors are in renewable energy as sustainable energy storage and hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). This study focus on charging and discharging of supercapacitors and its behavior. Mathematical models of charging and discharging with the proposed equivalent circuits were simulated and compared with actual experiment simulation using potentiostat. The equation for approximated full discharge time of supercapacitors was also presented. Two commercially available supercapacitors with 4.7F and 3.3F capacitance and 2.5V were set-up in potentiostat using two-electrode mode.