Accelerated Ageing of Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitor

Electrolytic capacitors are extensively used in filtering and power decoupling in power electronic converters. Low cost and high energy density of these capacitors make them popular. However, these capacitors degrade with age due to heating and evaporation of electrolyte. This process may take about 2 to 7 years depending on the application, ambient conditions and capacitor construction. This paper explores a method for accelerated ageing of capacitor. The method is based on weight loss of a capacitor due to evaporation of electrolyte. Experimentation is done to validate the performance of the method. Values of equivalent series resistance (ESR) and capacitance (C) during degradation are measured and reported in this paper.

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