Real time remaining useful life prediction of the electrolytic capacitor

Electrolytic capacitors are the essential electronic component of the power converters. Few methods are implemented for fault diagnosis or prognosis of the electrolytic capacitors. Most of these methods are based on the parameter like equivalent series resistance (ESR), capacitance (C), operating temperature (Tc), DC operating voltage (Vo), output ripple voltage (Vr) or ripple current (Ir). This paper presents a easy, comprehensive method for the remaining useful life (RUL) prediction of the electrolytic capacitor. The proposed method of online RUL prediction of electrolytic capacitor is based on a lifetime model which is implemented using parameters Tc, Vo and Ir of the electrolytic capacitor. This method is simulated using MATLAB-Simulink and also implemented on hardware using dsPIC33FJ64GS406. The experimental setup is composed of switched mode DC-DC buck converter and a data acquisition system (DAS). Simulation results and experimental results are compared to validate the proposed method. The proposed method implies industrial applications due to its simplicity, less hardware requirements and result orientation.