Power Storage & Management Systems

Power Electronics for Energy Storage and Management Systems 

Electro Standards Laboratories’ Research and Development Engineers & Scientists have expertise in energy storage, management, and integration of monolithic and hybrid systems made from combinations of EDLC, Lithium Ion Super Capacitors, batteries, turbines, and solar cells.

Super Capacitors such as EDLC (Electric Double Layer Capacitors) or LIC (Lithium Ion Capacitors) are typically used for electricity storage devices because of their high energy, power density and excellent reliability.  They provide an effective use of energy regeneration and long compensation time. They are also small and light-weight. These devices are ideal for backup and peak assist power management, power leveling and pulsed power applications and can be used to support solar power, wind power, medical facilities/hospitals, remote military operations, space exploration operations, construction sites and more.

Utilizing this experience and knowledge, they have developed several COTS product lines used in various power applications, supporting Power and Energy Industries all over the world.  Products that have emerged from this research includes the newest product line of Hybrid Power Management Units, commonly referred to as HPMU's.   SCups® line of super capacitor uninterruptible power supplies and our lithium-ion capacitor Energy ActionSystem Development Shelf — an industry first. 

Hybrid Power Management Units Combine the Strength of High Power Capacitors and High Energy Batteries

• Light Weight, High Performance, Safe Power Source

• Supports Bidirectional Operation, Allows Pulsed Power Into and Out of HPMU

• Non-Lithium Super Capacitor Options are Also Available!

The Hybrid Power Management Unit combines the strength of a high-power capacitor and a high energy battery. A power management board integrates the two energy-storage devices and provides the user with a light-weight, high performance, and safe power source.  This hybrid technology greatly benefits pulsed power load systems that are typically supported by “battery-only” systems. Battery technologies are inherently energy dense systems with limited power capability. Where energy transfer to the load is equal, primary and secondary chemistries have shown reduced performance when subjected to pulsed loading as compared to operation at low constant rates. Primary chemistries exhibit reduced discharge time or usable capacity while secondary chemistries suffer from both reduced usable capacity as well as reduced cycle life. The hybrid technology pairs the energy dense battery system with the power dense ESL Hybrid Power Management Unit (HPMU) to improve overall system performance.

The HPMU contains ESL’s hybrid power management circuitry and a high-power Super Capacitor (SCap) element. The HPMU enables the battery system to operate at a reduced rate supporting the baseline load and the recharge of the SCap while the SCap is utilized to support peak pulse requirements of the load. The result is improved lifetime, reduced battery heating, and extended cycle life of the battery system.

Application to Portable Systems and Devices

The Model 1041 Hybrid Power Management Unit is particularly applicable to portable communication devices. When battery power alone cannot meet power requirements, the batteries are stressed beyond their limits. The hybrid power unit allows batteries to operate at lower current level so that the operation can be achieved and the battery life is extended. Once the batteries are exhausted, they can be replaced, while the hybrid unit can be used again, repeatedly. The hybrid unit contains a 1500F LiC. The battery is sold separately allowing use of a customer supplied battery. Time extensions will vary with power requirements.  Ideal for powering portable medical devices, critical communication devices, and field operation devices. Custom systems are available to meet specific power extension requirements.

Military Communications and Other Applications

Currently, extensive work has been done supporting military communications load profiles such as SATCOM (1min @ 100W, 9min @ 12W) and SINCGARS (1min @ 20W, 9min@ 6W). Additonally, the HPMU has been integrated into unmanned underwater vehicles hybridizing the thruster load used for station keeping or depth control which experiences pulsed loading on the order of 100W to 150W. Further applications with larger systems upwards of 250kW which use the lithium ion capacitors in a different hybrid architecture to provide load leveling support have been successfully completed.

Additional Capabilities and Uses

Existing system design supports nominal 12V battery systems as input with 12V or 24V output support. 60s @ 100W possible over full LiC voltage range. Higher power is possible over shorter pulse widths (shorter LiC operating voltage range). Supports bidirectional operation in which the system is able to regulate the battery during pulsed power loads and also when absorbing pulsed power from external sources. Note the hybrid technology is scalable to accommodate different sized systems in terms of energy and power required. The nominal 100W system provides the opportunity for hybridizing the intended battery chemistry/technology in a subscale setting for performance evaluation before moving to the full-sized system.

Click here to view COTS Hybrid Power Management Unit (HPMU) Model 1041.

SCUPS® Super Capacitor Uninterruptable Power Supply

• Provides critical power backup for remote locations.

• Recognized for significant advantages over battery UPS systems.

• Low Maintenance, Long Life Service, Wide Temperature Range

The SCUPS® SuperCapacitor Uninterruptible Power Supplies are designed to provide backup DC power to a nominal 12VDC or 24VDC system in the event that the primary power supply is interrupted. Loss of the primary power is automatically detected and DC power is then supplied from the SCUPS®.  Once the primary power is restored, it is routed to the load and used to recharge the super capacitor in the SCUPS®.

The use of the SuperCapacitor for energy storage provides a very low maintenance solution with extremely high cycle life and without the shelf life concerns of the typical battery backup systems.

The SCUPS® is perfect for low power remote systems where primary power can be interrupted.  Typical applications include remote locations with intermittent grid power or renewable energy systems such as solar powered systems.

The SCUPS® is easily integrated into user equipment or can be supplied in a standalone package

SCUPS® are available in encased units or board-only to work with embedded applications.

Click here to view SCUPS® Supercapacitor Products

Lithium Ion Capacitor Development Shelves - Energy ActionSystems

Another product developed by ESL's Engineers using Lithium Ion Capacitor technology is the Energy ActionSystem Development Shelf.  These Lithium Ion Capacitor Development Shelves are intended to ease the incorporation of LiC modules into any system application.  The shelf is designed for easy mounting in a commercially available equipment rack.

Custom configurations are available upon request!

Click here to view Electro Standards Laboratories' Energy ActionSystems 

Work with Our Engineering Team to Develop Custom Designs

Do you need a custom designed product for your power/energy application?  If so, our experts can help you, please submit a Custom Product Request Form here: https://www.electrostandards.com/support/custom-product-request/ or give us a call!

Contact Our Engineering Team Today

To find out more about Electro Standards Contract Engineering Services, give us a call at 401-943-1164, Email: eslab@electrostandards.com