The Characteristics of Film Capacitors at Room Temperature and in Liquid Nitrogen

One of the key candidate technologies for future electric aircrafts is high-temperature superconductivity (HTS), which could drastically increases the power density by reducing volume and weight of power systems and devices. HTS devices require cryogenic operating temperature. Over the past several decades, HTS motors, generators, and cables technologies have been successfully demonstrated. However, the cryogenic operation of power electronics technology requires further research and development. Among the key components of power electronics devices, capacitors, an indispensable component, are one of the greatest challenges for successfully operating the cryogenic power electronics devices. The purpose of the study is exploring the behavior of various types of film capacitors at cryogenic temperatures. Here, we used liquid nitrogen to obtain 77 K as it is the representative cryogenic temperature. Both the capacitance and voltage rating of film capacitors were compared at room temperature and in liquid nitrogen.