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Modular multilevel converters (MMCs) have been recognized as the most attractive technology for high voltage direct current (HVDC) applications during the last years. Their advantages include the ability to freely control the internally stored energy in the distributed submodules (SMs) and to independently control AC and DC powers. Recent studies showed that an MMC can take advantage of this degree of freedom to supply ancillary services with low energy requirements such as frequency response or power oscillation damping by connecting energy storage systems (ESSs) to its SM capacitors. This paper proposes a modular DC-DC converter as an interface between the energy storage element and the SM capacitor. As it can be built with switches allowing a high switching frequency, it is shown that the volume of the passive components can be reduced in comparison with interface converters known in the literature. The proposed control strategy avoids to transfer the harmonics of a SM to the ESS that prevents to drastically oversize the system. The proposed control method also provides an appropriate energy exchange without affecting the control philosophy of an MMC and it addresses balancing issues. Simulations and a downscaled prototype confirm the relevance of the proposed control. As the proposed interface converter is able to track the power reference with fast dynamics, it provides the same system-level advantages as other interface converters known in the literature but with a reduced volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, passive balancing methods dominate energy storage applications, however, they suffer from a long balancing duration. In this article, we took advantage of a modular architecture, where several modular power converters replace a central dc–dc converter for fast charging and balancing of a supercapacitor stack. A strategy has been proposed to control how power is shared among the converters during the charging period in order to balance the supercapacitors. However, some converters enter control saturation due to voltage differences between supercapacitors caused by their nonuniform conditions and characteristics. The originality of this article lies in taking into account the saturation by modifying an energy-based strategy to correct the power shares and make balancing the supercapacitors possible. Simulation and experimental case studies were used to demonstrate the strategy's performance and limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lifetime of energy storage systems is a key factor that is extremely influenced by the operating conditions. For this reason, lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) and supercapacitors (SCs) were subjected to accelerated aging tests in several previous research in order analyze their lifespan. Lithium-ion capacitors (LiCs), which fall in between LiBs and SCs, are still considered as a novel technology. Their behavior during accelerated aging tests is not yet well studied in the literature. This paper focuses on studying the degradation of their properties during floating aging. Eighteen samples were tested under three different voltage values and two different temperatures over 12 months. Cells that were discharged to the minimum voltage showed a severe capacitance decrease that was much higher than the one of fully charged cells. The best storage voltage of LiCs was found to be 3 V, which is equivalent to a half charging state. The hybrid structure of LiCs was found to be the major cause of this change in behavior during aging at different voltages. Mechanisms that affect the electrodes and the internal composition of the cells in the diverse conditions were analyzed and predicted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of energy storage systems (ESSs) in contemporary applications highly depends on the performance of these devices. Supplying high power for a reasonable period of time is one of their main targets in several applications like backup systems and transport technologies. For this purpose, lithium-ion capacitors (LICs) would demonstrate better suitability than conventional ESSs for applications requiring a small installation space and a long lifetime. They are known for their energy density greater than that of supercapacitors and their power density greater than that of lithium-ion batteries. This paper explains the electrochemical processes that interfere in the storage of energy inside an LIC. The analysis of these phenomena was the tool for assessing the nonlinear capacitance evolution of the LIC with respect to its voltage. Several measurement techniques in the frequency and time domains were elaborated and compared in order to assess this nonlinear behavior of the LIC. Some of the measurement protocols contained constant voltage phases that had a significant effect on the variation of the capacitance. The novelty of this study concerns the introduction of a new measurement protocol that takes into account the particular characteristics of LICs. Their unique behavior is explained for the first time based on a physicochemical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Battery/Supercapacitors combination offers superior performances for a hybrid electric energy storage system in Electric Vehicles. This paper, presents a frequency power sharing strategy to get the best use of complementarity between battery and supercapacitors. Storage devices are sized based on reduced scale specifications for the studied EV. Power and current waveform simulation results are shown for each storage device due to the use of a frequency power sharing policy. Various power split configurations are analyzed to study their effect on battery current waveforms. Optimal frequency sharing policy for the battery/SCs hybrid reducing RMS battery current is obtained. The best use of battery/SCs association provides significant improvements of Electric Vehicle performances in terms of battery lifetime and amortized cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy storage elements such as supercapacitors are widely used in high-power applications. However, due to single cell voltage limitation, an energy storage system with a large number of supercapacitors is often employed. Energy management systems are associated to energy storage systems in order to assure user and equipment safety. Balancing circuits, which enable the equalization of the voltage of each element in series, are a part of the energy management system device. The work presented in this paper aims to enhance the lifetime of energy storage systems. It relies on better controlling balancing circuits on the terminals of the storage system elements. With the conventional function of balancing circuit, the energy storage system is limited by its weakest element that may fail prematurely. Thus, a new balancing approach is presented, discussed, and analyzed. It is based on the elements degradation level prediction. The model predictive control used with the new approach aims to equalize aging speed between elements of a module and ensures a maximum lifetime to the energy storage system. A comparison with the conventional control shows that adopting this new approach, with the same equipment, can enhance the storage system's lifetime by dozens percent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an original model for supercapacitors that takes into account both calendar aging and cycling aging. A state variable is used to quantify the state of aging. This model is based on a series of recent experiments conducted in various research laboratories on the same technology (Maxwell Technology) and serves to represent the degradation of equivalent series resistance and capacitance. This model is particularly useful in an aging-aware life-cycle cost analysis. We show that an accurate aging model is critical to the design of an energy storage system that optimizes the economic life-cycle cost. Such an optimization is particularly applicable for smoothing in offshore systems such as direct wave energy converters, which require both cost reduction and high reliability. The influence of an aging model in the sizing process is investigated toward the end of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its capacity to store or supply energy with high power, the supercapacitor is becoming an attractive component. Because of the electrostatic nature of energy storage, the endurance of this component toward repetitive charge and discharge cycles is relatively high. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate that cycling has an impact on the degradation of the supercapacitor and, as a result, on its lifetime. Based on accelerated cycling tests, some supercapacitors were studied using a dedicated test bench. Temperature, voltage, and current, which are the parameters that accelerate aging, are monitored. In fact, observations during the cycling tests show an important acceleration in the degradation compared with a similar static test having the same voltage and core temperature but without cycling. This paper proposes a method to quantify the acceleration of aging during a cycling phase. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Like any electric energy storage system, supercapacitors have a limited lifetime. Indeed, they degrade with time because of parasitic reactions between electrodes and electrolyte. Porous electrodes are complex structures and pores have size dispersion because of manufacturing processes. This paper proposes to study the specific impact of supercapacitor floating ageing on different pore sizes using a multipore model. The multipore model is an equivalent electrical circuit model, capable of representing impedance behavior of supercapacitor in full range of its operating frequencies and classifying different sized pores by their impedance parameters. This paper first presents a link between pore sizes and impedance parameters of the modeling circuit. Then, floating ageing experiments are carried out using three samples from two different manufacturers. Multipore model impedance parameters evolution is monitored and discussed. Finally, a new representation of ageing processes is proposed by pore size and for different ageing phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a study of the reduction in battery stresses by using supercapacitors (SCs) in a 500-kVA rated UPS. We aim at investigating the optimal supercapacitors-battery combination versus the SCs cost. This investigation is threefold; first, supercapacitors and battery models developed using MATLAB/Simulink are presented and validated. Second, the architecture and the simulation of the designed system that combines the SCs and the battery are shown. The supercapacitors are used as high-power storage devices to smooth the peak power applied to the battery during backup time and to deliver full power during short grid outages. By charging the SCs through the battery at a suitable rate, all impulse power demands would be satisfied by the supercapacitors. Third, extensive simulations are carried out to determine the gain in battery RMS current, the gain in energy losses, the energy efficiency and the elimination rate of surge load power. These four performance parameters are determined by simulation and then analyzed. The influence of the SCs recharge on the performance indicators is highlighted. A thorough analysis involving optimal study proposes to draw the optimal SCs number and filter constant from the variation of the aforementioned parameters versus the cost of the SCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulse charging and pulse discharging have been reported by many authors in the literature to improve the performance of various secondary electrochemical cells. Only a few authors mentioned the effects of such charge and discharge method on lithium-ion batteries. The overall objective of this work is to experimentally investigate the impact of certain current pulse profiles on the electrical performance of Li-ion batteries. The results highlight a detrimental impact of periodic pulses on the cell performance compared to profiles with constant current. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]