Cell Balancing

& Supercapacitors
Cell Balancing & Supercapacitors

Since supercapacitor cells have a low cell voltage for most applications, there is a need to place
several cells in series to achieve the higher system voltage requirement. When placing cells in series,
the voltage distribution in a series stack of supercapacitors is initially a function of capacitance. After
the stack has been held at voltage for a period of time, voltage distribution then becomes a function of
internal parallel resistance (leakage current).

To further clarify this point we can look at the standard capacitor equation:

By re-arranging this equation, we can see that voltage is inversely proportional to the capacitance:

The larger the capacitance, the lower the voltage variation will be for a given charge rate and time.
Therefore, a stack of capacitors with 20% variation in capacitance can initially produce a variation in the
voltage. The more important source of voltage variation is the leakage current. For a series of cells that
remain on charge for an extended period (that is are being charged by a constant voltage source), cells
with higher leakage currents will have a reduced voltage, which in turn will cause the remaining cells to
increase in voltage. Over time, this phenomenon will reduce the life of some of the cells and create
premature failures.

One technique to compensate for variations in leakage current is to place a bypass resistor in parallel
with each cell, sized to dominate the individual cell leakage current. This effectively reduces the
variation of equivalent parallel resistance between the cells. For instance, if the cells have an average
leakage current of 10 mA +/- 3 mA, a resistor that will bypass 100 mA may be an appropriate choice.
The average leakage current will now be 110 mA, +/- 4 mA. The introduction of this resistor decreases
the variation in leakage current from 30% to 3.6%.

If all the parallel resistances are the same, the cells with higher voltages should discharge through the
parallel resistance at a higher rate than the cells with lower voltages. This will help to distribute the total
stack voltage evenly across the entire series of capacitors. A typical recommendation is to use a
resistor that bypasses ten times the leakage current of the cell. Higher ratios can be used for faster
balancing. A tradeoff study needs to be completed for each case to analyze the time to balance vs.
leakage current.

In some applications, this additional leakage current is not acceptable and an active balance circuit is
recommended. There are several different approaches to active balancing. Please contact KEMET for
additional information on these approaches.

Copyright 2013 KEMET Corporation Page 2

More about KEMET

KEMET Corporation is a leading global supplier of electronic components. We offer our customers the
broadest selection of capacitor technologies in the industry across all dielectrics, along with an
expanding range of electromechanical devices, electromagnetic compatibility solutions and
supercapacitors. Our vision is to be the preferred supplier of electronic component solutions demanding
the highest standards of quality, delivery and service.

KEMETs customer base includes most of the worlds major electronics original equipment
manufacturers, manufacturing services companies, and electronics distributors. Production is
measured at over 30 billion pieces per year.

High reliability versions of KEMET capacitors have shared in every important defense and aerospace
effort of the past 60 years, from the first Telstar satellite and Apollo 11 to the Patriot Missile,
International Space Station and Mars Pathfinder.

Headquartered in Simpsonville, South Carolina, KEMET operates 24 production facilities in Europe,

North America and Asia and employs 9,840 employees worldwide. Manufacturing facilities are located
in Mexico, China, Italy, U.K., Portugal, Finland, Sweden, Indonesia, Germany, Bulgaria and Macedonia.
KEMET also owns two specialty electronics companies--FELCO in Chicago, Illinois and Dectron in
Farjestaden, Sweden. Sales offices and distribution centers are located around the world.

For more information, please visit us at www.kemet.com or call +864-963-6300.

Copyright 2013 KEMET Corporation Page 3