A very simple experimental technique for characterising and diagnosing electrolytic capacitors

作者：Buiatti G M^*; Amaral A M R; Cardoso A J M

来源：International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education, 2011, 48(1): 17-33.

DOI：10.7227/IJEEE.48.1.3

• capacitance
• diagnosis
• electrolytic capacitor
• Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR)
• high frequency

In this paper, an experimental technique for the offline characterisation of electrolytic capacitors in a wide range of frequencies is presented. The Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR) of electrolytic capacitors is a key parameter for the design of power converters operating at high frequencies, and also for capacitor diagnosis. Not only is the capacitance value at low frequencies another important parameter for the diagnosis of electrolytic capacitors, usually it is the component with the shortest lifetime in these converters. Since impedance analysers are often very expensive and not always available in many laboratories, this proposed technique appears as a very useful tool especially for educational purposes. This is due to its easy implementation, accuracy, simplicity and cost. Curve fitting through least mean squares (LMS) algorithm is discussed and presented as the solution for the technique implementation. Experimental results are presented and compared with results from an impedance analyser, validating the accuracy of the technique.

• 出版日期2011-1