Optimization of double-layer capacitor arrays

The double-layer capacitor was developed in the late 1960s by SOHIO Corporation, with further development continued by NEC and Matsushita in Japan. In 1978, a commercial product was introduced by Matsushita, the Panasonic Gold capacitor. This technological advancement has mainly been applied in computer memory backup systems, but with increases in double-layer capacitor energy storage levels, higher power applications have become a real possibility. This paper examines the design of a capacitor bank interfaced to a constant power load through a DC-DC converter. A numerical procedure has been implemented in a program which determines the dependence of run time, efficiency, and energy utilization on the capacitor array dimensions, given the empirically determined capacitor parameters as well as a specified converter output power. Capacitor bank design calculations made using this numerical procedure have been verified using a commercial DC-DC converter.