Electrical and Thermal Performance of the Carbon-carbon Ultracapacitor Under Constant Power Conditions

Ultracapacitor performance under constant current conditions is well understood and documented. However, constant power testing and performance evaluations in real world applications are less well understood and only sparsely reported on. This paper develops the basics of constant power charging and discharging of the carbon-carbon ultracapacitor, presents the newly developed electronic equivalent circuit model, its validation procedures against IEC62391 with illustrative examples and a demonstration application. A combined electro-mechanical-thermal simulation demonstration model is presented for an ac motor drive example to highlight the electrical and thermal aspects of the ultracapacitor under demanding real world conditions.