Capacitance calculation of tantalum capacitors for energy storage

Why do tantalum capacitors have a high capacitance?

In the tantalum electrolytic capacitor, the distance between the plates is very small since it is only the thickness of the tantalum pentoxide film. As the dielectric constant of the tantalum pentoxide and area of the plates are large, resulting in very high capacitance of a tantalum capacitor:

Why are wet tantalum capacitors better?

Higher material and manufacturing cost. Compared to solid tantalum technologies e.g. (MnO2 or polymer electrolyte), wet tantalum capacitors exhibit a higher surge current capability with a higher breakdown voltage (BDV) close to their dielectric formation voltage. This results in capacitors that require less voltage derating.

What is a tantalum capacitor used for?

Two primary functions that tantalum capacitors are ideally suited for are bulk energy storage and waveform filtering. In addition to maximum working voltage and voltage derating, an important characteristic of any capacitor is its ability to store an electrical charge. Some applications require the capacitor to store large amounts of charge.

What is a tantalum polymer (Tapoly) capacitor?

Tantalum and Tantalum Polymer (TaPoly) capacitors are also high CV devices, but extremely stable across temperature and voltage. Electrochemical Double Layer Capacitors (EDLC), commonly known as supercapacitors, are peerless when it comes to bulk capacitance value, easily achieving 3000F in a single element discrete capacitor.

Can a tantalum capacitor be used in parallel?

In some cases, a single tantalum capacitor is sufficient, but in more demanding applications, multiple capacitors may be configured in parallel so that their capacitance values are cumulative and the combined resistance of the array is reduced. The second factor is the ESR of the capacitors.

Are solid tantalum capacitors a good investment?

Solid tantalum capacitor manufacturers can make improvements in physical design and materials that reduce the overall ESR of the capacitor. These lower ESR capacitors will lead to reductions in heat generation within the capacitor, thus improving overall circuit efficiency and long-term reliability.