Ripple Current and its Effects on the Performance of Capacitors moz-extension://23a22c05-cafc-4908-ad8c-a957787635e0/re...
[Link]
Ripple Current and its Effects on the Performance
of Capacitors
Tomáš Zedníček
14 - 18 minutes
Capacitors are critical elements in most analog and digital electronic
circuits. One of the limitation – the power dissipated by a capacitor is a
function of ripple current and ESR equivalent series resistance. As such,
the ripple current capability is one of the key parameters to consider
when selecting a capacitor for a specific application.
In most electronic devices, the DC current signal applied to a circuit has
an AC portion. This AC portion is referred to as the ripple current. Some
capacitors have high ripple current ratings while others have low ripple
current ratings. Although there are standards for calculating these
ratings, some manufacturers use their own techniques. In capacitors,
power loss and internal heating are dependent on ripple current.
Using capacitors with very low ESRs helps to minimize power dissipation
and enhance the capacity of the circuit to withstand high ripple currents.
The operational life of most types of capacitors is greatly determined by
internal temperature, hence the need to minimize the heat generated by
ripple current.
Capacitor Ripple Current Expression and Calculation
The temperature rise depends on ripple current, thermal resistance, and
equivalent series resistance. The overall thermal resistance is dependent
on thermal resistance between the component and the ambient
environment and internal thermal resistance. Thermal resistance varies
from one capacitor to another depending on external surface area and
internal construction. In most capacitors, the equivalent series resistance
is dependent on operating temperature and frequency.
The ripple current degrades a capacitor by raising its internal
temperature. The failure rate of capacitors is directly related to the
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temperature of operation, and operating capacitors at high temperatures
shortens their life. As such, ripple current lowers the reliability of
capacitors, thereby limiting the overall reliability of electronic devices.
For some capacitors, manufacturers recommend voltage deration when
they are operated at temperatures above 85C. Since ripple current
increases the core temperature of a capacitor, it is a parameter of
interest when considering the voltage deration requirements for a given
capacitor.
Lets do a capacitor ripple current calculation example based on square
AC voltage load – Figure 1.
Figure 1. capacitor ripple current – charging and discharging with square AC load
applied
where,
Tperiod = is the time period = 1/f of the AC load (for example 5us for
f=200kHz)
Tload is the charging time, in case of symetrical signals it is 0.5 of Tperiod
(= 50% duty cycle)
Capacitor is charging during voltage applied until Tload time. For the rest
of the period the current is drawn out of the capacitor. The charge drawn
from the capacitor during the discharge period, must equal the charge
added during the charge period. Therefore the discharging current
during the load period must equal:
[1]
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total ripple current is expressed by:
[2]
[3]
regarding to [1]:
[4]
Charging current of capacitor with leakage current negligible comparing
to charging current is defined by equation:
[5]
where,
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U – applied voltage
R – total circuit resistance ( = series resistance + Capacitor’s ESR)
t – time
tau – time constant = R.C
C – capacitance
Ripple current Irms can be then expressed by [4] and [5]::
[6]
Power equation is defined:
[7]
The dissipation power by capacitor us than:
[8]
In practice, we may have various AC load patterns applied to capacitors
and it may be easier to check the real operation / worst case load to the
capacitor by oscilloscope and maximum dissipated power by infrared
camera:
The maximum self-heating of the capacitor shall not exceed
manufacturers’ specification. The figure 3. illustrates tantalum capacitor
under full load with temperature rise of almost 10C compare to ambient,
no load conditions (Figure 2.). The temperature rise is still below
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maximum self-heating specified by the manufacture and thus suitable
for continuous operation.
Choosing the Right Capacitor to Reduce the Ripple
Voltage Amplitude
To choose the right capacitor for the input filter of a switching regulator,
for example, the capacitance needed to achieve a desired voltage ripple
can be calculated, if the operating conditions of the regulator are known.
When the capacitance is calculated, a candidate component can be
identified, and the ripple current determined from the known ESR. This
ripple current must be within the capacitor’s ripple current handling
capability, if the device is to be suitable for use. This is where selection
can become difficult, because both ESR and capacitance are known to
vary with temperature, operating frequency, and the applied DC bias (in
case of MLCC class II capacitors).
The capacitance can be calculated using the equation ([Link] Application
Report SLTA055):
[9]
where
fSW is the switching frequency in kHz
IOUT is the steady state output load current
CMIN is the minimum required ceramic input capacitance in μF
VP(max) is the maximum allowed peak-peak ripple voltage
dc is the duty cycle (as defined above)
Example Capacitor Calculation:
Given:
• VIN = 12 V
• VOUT = 3.3 V
• IOUT = 10 A
• η = 90%
• fSW = 333 kHz
• dc = 0.3
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• max ripple voltage allowed = 75mVpp
The minimum capacitance required to reduce the ripple voltage to 75
mVpp is calculated to be:
[10]
Capacitor ripple current requirements:
conversion from Vpp to Vrms requirements follow equation: Vrms = 1/ (2
×√3) × Vpp [11]
in our case, base on [11] above 75 mVpp ~ 22 mVrms
Ohm’s law can be used then to determine rms ripple current
requirements. If the selected capacitor ESR specification = 35 mΩ, ESR
input bulk capacitor, the ripple current capacitor requirements are:
22mV / 35 mOhm ~ 628 mA.
It shall be noted that the capacitor’s ESR is frequency and temperature
dependent, thus it has to be examined in the full range of operation
conditions.
Simulation and Modelling
Leading capacitor manufacturers provide various simulation, S
parameters and modelling tools to evaluate the component behavior
with application voltage, temperature and frequency.
Using the online simulation, engineers can quickly analyze and compare
multiple capacitors and its suitability for the specific application. Very
often the models can be also exported for PSpice tools that enable high
fidelity simulation of the complete electrical circuit.
Ripple Current of Capacitor Technologies
Ripple current for ceramic capacitors
Internal heating within ceramic capacitors is a problem that affects the
performance of many electronic circuits. In these capacitors, the
maximum ripple current is determined by temperature characteristics of
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the component. The ripple current of ceramic capacitor varies depending
on the temperature of operation. Ceramic capacitors operating at higher
temperatures have less ripple current capability compared to those
operating at lower temperatures. For this reason, this parameter is
usually measured at room temperature. The method of measuring ripple
current of these components varies from one manufacturer to another.
As such, it is critical to understand the method used by a supplier when
analyzing ripple current data for different capacitors.
Exceeding the ripple current rating of a ceramic capacitor can
significantly affect its performance. Although heating a capacitor beyond
the temperature specified by the manufacture may not cause immediate
failure, overheating ceramic capacitors accelerates their failure rate.
Compared to small footprint components, physically larger ceramic
capacitors have higher tolerances to ripple current. The greater thermal
mass and volume of larger capacitors enables them to absorb more
energy, and it takes more time before their maximum rated temperature
is reached.
The coefficients of thermal resistance for ceramic capacitors of a given
chip size can be different. This is due to variation in the number of
electrode plates. High capacitance components have more electrode
plates compared to low capacitance components of same size. Electrode
plates act as heat sinks, and capacitors with a higher number of these
plates release heat from their ceramic blocks more easily when
compared to components of same size but with fewer plates.
Heating in ceramic capacitors can cause thermal gradients. These
thermal gradients can cause cracking. To prevent cracking, the
maximum temperature rise in ceramic capacitors is usually limited to
50C. Unlike aluminum and tantalum capacitors, ceramic capacitors are
not prone to negative ripple voltage pulse problem. This is because
ceramic capacitors are non-polar components.
Ripple current for tantalum capacitors
Within a chip tantalum capacitor, heat is generated by DC leakage
current and by the AC signal. This heat is lost to the surroundings
through a combination of the following heat transfer methods:
conduction, convection, and radiation. The rate at which heat is lost to
the surroundings depends mainly on the temperature gradient between
the component and the ambient temperature. At a specified frequency,
the heat generated by ripple current is equal to the product of the square
of the rms value of the current and the ESR of the capacitor, I2R. On the
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other hand, the leakage current generates heat that is equal to the
product of the current and the applied voltage.
Most of today’s high performance circuits operate at high switching
speeds, high currents, and low voltages that demand very low ESR
capacitors. Capacitor manufacturers have been reducing the equivalent
series resistance of tantalum capacitors to meet the evolving
requirement of electronic circuits. For low-voltage circuits that operate at
high currents such as some modern CPUs, the demand for very low ESRs
is even higher. Low equivalent series resistance enables capacitors to
withstand high ripple currents. In comparison, capacitors with high ESR
ratings dissipate more heat, and are unsuitable for high ripple current
environments. Since temperature rise in tantalum capacitors is a
function of ESR, ripple current flowing through a capacitor, and thermal
resistance, reducing ESR helps to improve the ripple current capability of
these components.
Electronic circuits that operate at very high clock speeds have higher
current requirements compared to those that operate at lower speeds.
Circuits operating at such high speeds expose capacitors to large ripple
currents, and very low ESR components are required to minimize power
dissipation. Excess power dissipation can raise the internal temperature
of tantalum capacitors to unacceptable limits. Exposing tantalum
capacitors to high temperatures lowers their reliability and increases
their susceptibility to failure.
Ripple current for aluminum electrolytic capacitors
Aluminum electrolytic capacitors are used for a broad spectrum of
applications including energy storage, smoothing, and filtering
applications. Some applications such as smoothing and filtering load
electrolytic capacitors with AC ripple current. This ripple current causes
power dissipation and heating, and subjecting electrolytic capacitors to
high temperatures shortens their life. In addition, high temperatures
affect capacitance, aluminum resistivity, electrolyte conductivity, and
leakage current of these electrolytic capacitors.
In many electronic circuits, the capacitor is the component that limits the
life of the system. As such, it is important to consider all the factors that
can accelerate the failure rate of these components when analyzing the
overall reliability of a system. For aluminum electrolytic capacitors, the
factors that can accelerate failure include extreme temperatures, reverse
bias, extreme frequencies, transients and high voltages.
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Temperature rise in aluminum electrolytic capacitors is a function of
equivalent series resistance, root mean square value of current flowing
through a capacitor, and thermal characteristics of a component. The hot
spot temperature, temperature at a given spot within a capacitor, is the
key factor that determines the operational life of an aluminum
electrolytic capacitor. The hot spot temperature is a function of the
ambient temperature, thermal resistance, and power loss due to AC
current. Inside an aluminum electrolytic capacitor, temperature rise and
power loss have a linear relationship. Power loss in electrolytic
capacitors is mainly due to voltage changes across the dielectric, leakage
current losses, and ohmic resistance losses.
When selecting an electrolytic capacitor for power electronics
applications, it is important to select components that are optimized to
withstand high ripple currents. Such capacitors are specially designed to
operate under severe conditions. The most common way of enhancing
the ripple current capability of electrolytic capacitors is by minimizing
the equivalent series resistance.
The equivalent series resistance of electrolytic capacitors decreases with
an increase in the number of electrodes tabs. Increasing laser-welded
tabs enhances ripple current capability, thus reducing internal heating
and lengthening the life of a capacitor. In addition, using multiple laser-
welded tabs helps to improve vibration and shock resistance of
aluminum electrolytic capacitors.
Ripple current for film capacitors
In power electronic circuits, film capacitors are used for a wide range of
applications including DC-link and DC output filtering applications.
Polypropylene is widely used in the construction of film capacitors. This
dielectric material offers low dissipation factor, and has good
performance over a wide range of temperatures and frequencies. As
compared to aluminum electrolytic capacitors, film capacitors have
higher ripple current capacity and voltage capability. The ripple current
capacity of these capacitors is about three times that of aluminum
electrolytic capacitors. In addition, film capacitors have high tolerance to
shock and vibrations.
Film capacitors, compared to conventional electrolytic capacitors, have
lower equivalent series resistance. This characteristic enables these
capacitors to tolerate higher ripple currents. Furthermore, the ESR of
polymer film capacitors is relatively constant over a wide range of
temperatures. As in other capacitors, ripple current causes power
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dissipation in film capacitors. This power dissipation raises the internal
temperature of film capacitors, thus reducing their life. The operational
life of metallized polymer film capacitors is greatly determined by the
core temperature.
Further Read:
• Capacitor Ripple Current, Transient and Surge Power Load Ratings
• Capacitor Ripple Current Testing: A Design Consideration
• Examining the Influence of ESR and Ripple Current on Selecting the
Suitable Capacitor
• Why Low ESR Matters in Capacitor Design
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