This research project is part of the SUPERGEN Energy Storage Consortium funded by the EPSRC, in developing a hybrid energy storage system based on batteries and supercapacitors for transport applications.
Supercapacitors, a high power energy storage device, have great potential to be hybridised with principal energy source e.g. batteries, in optimising electrical energy storage system for electric transport applications. Supercapacitors can improve the limitations of batteries on power capability and performance at sub-zero temperature; maximise the batteries’ operating life cycle; and optimise the power-to-energy ratio of electrical energy storage system in today electric vehicles. The high power performance of supercapacitors is desired in handling the pulsed load power peaks experienced in transport applications e.g. abrupt power demands during stop-start, acceleration and uphill, and maximising the energy recuperation from regenerative braking.
As a power-assist energy source in the hybrid energy storage system, the characteristics of supercapacitors under high power/current operating conditions have to be studied in-depth and well understood. Here, we are looking at:
(1) Assessment of the electrical characteristics and energy stored in supercapacitors at elevated operating current levels.
(2) Understand the abuse tolerance of supercapacitors under abusive operating conditions
(3) Optimisation of the power-split / load-sharing control strategy of batteries-supercapacitors energy sources for transport applications.
EPSRC – SUPERGEN Energy Storage Consortium
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