IMPROVING BATTERY RUN-TIME IN ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES WITH ULTRA-CAPACITOR

As technology advances, batteries still remain as one of the most important
power sources in the world. Batteries are widely used in electrical appliances because it
is one of the best competent energy storage devices available today. However, batteries
have limitations that need to be improved such as limited cycle life, high equivalent
series resistance (ESR) and contribute to environmental issues. The project investigates
the capability of the ultra-capacitor in an attempt to improve the current runtime of the
battery for electrical appliances. The main activity of this project is to design a suitable
equivalent circuit model for the battery/ultra-capacitor combination. Data Studio
software with the combination of Science Workshop 750 interface is used to verify the
graph of the peak current produced in the equivalent circuit model of the battery/ultracapacitor
combination. The experiment is conducted using the breadboard and then the
selected circuit equivalent circuit is constructed on the veroboard to make sure the
components or hardware connected firmly. This model circuit of battery/ultra-capacitor
combination is expected to increase the current runtime of the battery 3-15% compared
to the conventional battery. The circuit also is applied to the vehicles such as motorcycle
and car to improve the fuel consumption. The project has the potential in contributing to
the environment, world economy, reduce the energy waste and improve the power
source of the electrical appliances.