Energy Storage in Capacitor Banks

This chapter covers various aspects involved in the design and construction of energy storage capacitor banks. Methods are described for reducing a complex capacitor bank system into a simple equivalent circuit made up of L, C, and R elements. The chapter presents typical configurations and constructional aspects of capacitor banks. The two most common implementations of capacitor/switch assemblies are common. One is to have a module make up of one or two capacitors with switch mounted directly over the capacitor terminals so that each module has its individual switch. Another is a topology in which a group of capacitors are connected in parallel by a bus bar or parallel plate transmission line and share a start switch placed nearby. The chapter also shows a typical system layout for a high‐energy storage capacitor bank. It further lists some capacitor banks, and summarizes a few details regarding their ratings, location, switches, transmission line, and trigger pulse generator.