MAXWELL TECHNOLOGIES’ BOOSTCAP® ULTRACAPACITOR MODULES SELECTED FOR BRAKING ENERGY RECUPERATION IN KOREAN SUBWAY SYSTEM
Recuperation System Reduces Grid Power Consumption and Stabilizes Network Voltage
SEOUL, Korea. – The Korean federal government’s Korean Railroad Research Institute (KRRI) is overseeing installation of a high-efficiency, ultracapacitor-based, braking energy recuperation system in a subway station here to demonstrate the system’s benefits, including reduced grid power consumption and improved network voltage stability.David Schramm, Maxwell’s president and chief executive officer, said that Woojin Industrial Systems, KRRI’s contractor for the project, selected Maxwell’s 48-volt BOOSTCAP® ultracapacitor modules as the recuperation system’s energy storage element. Earlier this year, Woojin took delivery of 72 modules and completed installation of a 750-volt DC system for testing and evaluation on the Gyengsan light rail transit track. Maxwell delivered another 220 modules to Woojin in October for a 1500-volt DC system that will be installed during the second quarter of 2009, with system demonstrations set to follow by mid-year.
In the Gyengsan light rail installation, preliminary testing conducted by KRRI and Woojin during system development projected that the recuperation system would reduce grid power consumption by more than 20 percent, which, if matched in actual operation could save enough energy to recoup the initial investment in less than four years.
“Ultracapacitors continue to demonstrate their high efficiency, long life and reliable low temperature performance in heavy transportation applications ranging from low-emission hybrid transit buses to energy-efficient electric rail systems such as the KRRI project in Korea,” Schramm said.
BOOSTCAP ultracapacitor products deliver up to 10 times the power and longevity of batteries, require no maintenance and operate reliably in extreme temperatures. In transportation applications, they efficiently recapture energy from braking for reuse in hybrid and all-electric drive trains, reducing energy consumption and emissions. They also provide compact, lightweight, “life-of-the vehicle” solutions to stabilize automotive power networks and power new, all-electric subsystems, such as drive-by-wire steering. In mission-critical industrial applications, where backup power ensures continued operation or a soft shutdown in the event of power interruptions, ultracapacitors provide reliable, cost-effective, maintenance-free energy storage. In wind turbine blade pitch and braking systems and other industrial applications, they provide a simple, solid state, highly reliable, solution to buffer short-term mismatches between the power available and the power required.
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Maxwell is a leading developer and manufacturer of innovative, cost-effective energy storage and power delivery solutions. Our BOOSTCAP® ultracapacitor cells and multi-cell modules provide safe and reliable power solutions for applications in consumer and industrial electronics, transportation and telecommunications. Our CONDIS® high-voltage grading and coupling capacitors help to ensure the safety and reliability of electric utility infrastructure and other applications involving transport, distribution and measurement of high-voltage electrical energy. Our radiation-mitigated microelectronic products include power modules, memory modules and single board computers that incorporate powerful commercial silicon for superior performance and high reliability in aerospace applications.