Huilide capacitor energy storage welding machine

Are electrolytic capacitors a viable alternative for large capacity CD welding systems?

Electrolytic capacitors (E-caps) offer a potential alternative for large capacity CD welding systems. E-caps incorporate an electrolyte impregnated into a separator. The separator is then sandwiched between anodic and cathodic foils. A dielectric is also used to prevent direct contact of the foils with the electrolyte.

What is capacitor discharge welding?

Capacitive discharge welding, particularly for large-scale systems, is typically done using film-type capacitors. These capacitors store energy along alternating plates separated by a dielectric film. Charge is stored statically along the lengths of the plates. The basic configuration of the film capacitor is provided in Figure 1.

What is capacitive discharge or CD welding?

Capacitive discharge or CD welding is a variant of resistance welding(1,2). The process differs from the conventional variants largely in the type of power supply used. Conventional systems provide some variant of alternating current to a transformer arrangement.

Does a film capacitor provide a similar voltage tolerance for CD welding?

Performance was evaluated based on current range behavior and metallographic response. Conclusions from this work include: to film capacitors – An array was developed to provide similar voltage tolerance and system capacitance to a standard film variant conventionally used for CD welding.

Is there an open architecture CD welding system available at EWI?

As suggested above, previous work(3) was done on an open architecture CD welding system available at EWI. That system has been described in detail elsewhere. The available system is capable of charge voltages up to 3000 V, and was equipped with the 1280-μF film type capacitor.

Can electrolytic capacitor arrays be made available?

Current estimates based on this work are that electrolytic capacitor arrays can be made available at a price point nominally 80% of that for the current film variants. Table 2.