Electrolytic capacitor: Properties and operation

Due to their high specific volumetric capacitance, electrolytic capacitors are used in many fields of power electronics, mainly for filtering and energy storage functions. Their characteristics change strongly with frequency, temperature and aging time. Electrolytic capacitors are among the components whose lifetime has the greatest influence on the reliability of electrical systems. Over the past three decades, many efforts in academic research have been devoted to improving reliability capacitor. Industrial applications require more reliable power electronic products. It is in this context that the different electrolytic capacitors and their characteristics are discussed. The aging process of aluminum electrolytic capacitors is explained. Finally, this paper reviews existing methods of failure prognosis of electrolytic capacitors.