Behavioral study on the reliability of electrolytic capacitors of various manufacturers
Résumé
Aluminium electrolytic capacitors are frequently responsible for the failures in static converters. In order to evaluate the level of reliability of these components according to their characteristics, we carried out ageing tests with varying voltage-temperature and by charging-discharging cycles on components with rated values 4.7mF, 500V from different manufacturers. These various ageing tests revealed modes of catastrophic and progressive failures. These failure modes must be taken into account when using the components in an industrial environment. Standard ageing tests (voltage-temperature) reveal both the catastrophic failures due to the geometrical characteristics of the components and the progressive failures due to the time-dependent degradation of the electrolyte. Ageing by charging-discharging cycles revealed problems related to the quality of the dielectric layer and the connections.