T36.3 - Supercapacitor Assisted Extra Low Frequency Power Converters and Surge Protectors: Applying Supercapacitor Assisted Loss Management Concept in Practical Applications

Traditionally, supercapacitors are used as energy storage devices, replacing or hybridizing with batteries. This paper presents a summary of Supercapacitor Assisted Loss Management (SCALoM) as the underlying basis for high-efficiency converters and protection systems, such as the SCA low dropout (SCALDO) regulator, SCA surge absorber (SCASA) and others. An important property of SCALDO is high efficiency at a very low frequency with DC UPS capability. SCASA is a high-performance surge absorber with less component count than traditional protectors and with higher endurance to repeated high surges. Also, SCALoM concept could be generally used in converters useful in renewable energy systems.