Supercapacitor Energy Storages in Hybrid Power Supplies for Frequency-Controlled Electric Drives: Review of Topologies and Automatic Control Systems

This article provides an overview of the use of supercapacitor energy storage systems in adjustable AC drives for various purposes. The structures of the power section of combined (hybrid) power supplies for vehicle electric drives (hybrid electric vehicles and public transport vehicles) and general-purpose electric drives of an industrial grade (cranes, freight, and passenger lifts) are given. This review focuses on the problems inherent in conventional solutions adopted in the implementation of the power section, as well as the effect that can be obtained when using supercapacitor energy storage systems in controlled electric drives. The topologies of reversible DC/DC converters for supercapacitor energy storage devices are considered with a comparative assessment of their advantages and disadvantages, as well as their areas of application. This paper provides an overview of the structures of automatic control systems for supercapacitor energy storage devices. The composition and principles of regulating variables, the types of regulators used, and the criteria for setting regulation systems are analysed.