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Nano-Engineered Carbon Electrochemical
Capacitors--Giner, Inc., 89 Rumford Avenue,
Newton, MA 02466-1311; 781-529-0501; www.ginerinc.com
Mr. Mourad Manoukian, Principal
Investigator, mmanoukian@ginerinc.com
Dr. Anthony B. LaConti, Business Official, alaconti@ginerinc.com
DOE Grant No.
DE-FG02-07ER84936
Amount: $99,985
To address the needs of the energy
industry and a variety of utility applications, the DOE has identified the need
for improved energy storage devices that utilize carbon nano-tubes
and other nano-engineered materials. One of these energy storage devices, supercapacitors, could interface with the power grid via a
static power conditioner and provide power during short duration interruptions
and voltage sags. These devices also
could provide improved power quality and reliability, reduce the size of
distributed generation systems, and satisfy energy demand by load
leveling. This project will develop an all-solid-polymer-electrolyte
Electrochemical Double-Layer Capacitor (EDLC) for power transmission and
distribution systems, providing improved system stability and lower demand
peaks at critical times. The EDLC will
have low overall ESR, high capacitance (>300 F/g), high-energy density
(greater than 10 Wh/kg), and high-power density
(greater than 1000 W/kg). Feasibility of
the EDLC will be demonstrated in Phase I, and large-scale prototypes will be
fabricated and extensively tested in Phase II.
Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: EDLCs should have three major markets: automotive, consumer electronics, and
industrial power management. The
automotive market would use EDLCs as load-leveling
devices for batteries in electric and hybrid vehicles. The consumer
electronics market needs small high-frequency devices in order to reduce
battery size. The industrial power
market needs EDLCs that could interface with the power grid, providing high
frequency (60 -120) Hz power during short duration interruptions, and voltage
sags for improved power quality and reliability. In addition, EDLCs
may find military applications in electric guns, kinetic-energy weapons, and
active sonar pulses.