Crank up the power for engine starting
SNC Saft Nickel Supercapacitor
Reliable cranking power ensures
your engine is always ready to start,
eliminating the risk of breakdowns
and lowering operating costs.
Performance you can rely
on – for any route and in
any weather
Powerful cranking for engine starting time after time
Saft Nickel Supercapacitors are designed to provide the high cranking power vital to start the engines found in large
commercial vehicles, such as trucks, buses, coaches and construction plant as well as military vehicles, and also to start stationary
diesel backup generators.
Getting the engine up to starting speed usually takes from 0.5 to 1.5 seconds. This is where Saft’s Nickel Supercapacitor offers a
clear advantage, since it delivers its power faster during this critical breakaway period than any battery technology. And it can do
this in even the coldest winter conditions, time after time, for hundred of thousands of starts.
A further benefit is Saft’s aqueous asymmetric construction that makes for a safer, more robust design that is essentially
maintenance free.
Matching cranking current to demand
Engine starting can be broken down into three phases. Supercapacitors provide the bulk of the current during the first two critical
phases.
Phase 1: Initial very high current demand for around 0.050 seconds
as the starter pinion gear is driven to the flywheel gear.
> The engine is not turning over.
Phase 2: This is the break-away phase of around 0.10 seconds,
depending on engine size. Following the initial spike, current drops
abruptly to less than half its peak while engine static friction and
inertial resistance is overcome and crankshaft movement begins.
> The engine is starting to turn over.
Phase 3: At around 0.15 second the starter current reaches a
constant value – the rolling current – as the engine rpm increases
to its peak value.
> The engine begins turning over at a constant speed.
2
Saft Nickel Supercapacitor - Crank up the power for engine starting
For fast starting supercapacitors
out-perform any battery
If you need faster engine starting then Saft’s Nickel Supercapacitor
delivers its energy more efficiently than any battery for a 10 to 20%
improvement in starting times. This could be critical to a hospital
generator - and the larger the generator the greater the improvement.
This voltage profile curve shows the starter motor voltage on a 3 MW
generator and the 0.75 second improvement when a supercapacitor
is added. The voltage drop is also improved.
Fast recharging – ready to go again in seconds
Rapid charging and discharging means that Saft’s Nickel Supercapacitor is always ready in seconds to deliver the next burst of cranking
power – so it is ideal when multiple engine starting attempts are
needed. A battery need only deliver less 0.2 Ah to recharge the capacitor – this curve shows that a 150 A current will recharge it in only
10 seconds. Furthermore, once charged, the supercapacitor can sit
isolated for up to two years and still be able to crank an engine.
military vehicle, LMTV, FMTV, HEMTT,
generator set, heavy duty vehicle,
bus, truck,
diesel locomotive, DMU, diesel generator,
motor coach, shuttle bus, no-idle,
construction plant
Saft Nickel Supercapacitor - Crank up the power for engine starting
3
Unrivalled confidence that your
engine will always start
Perfect performance down to - 40°C
A major advantage of the Saft Nickel Supercapacitor is its
cold weather performance. At temperatures down to - 20°C
it retains nearly 90% of its power, while a typical lead-acid
battery will already have lost half its power. At - 40°C it is even
better, retaining 50% of its power while the lead-acid battery is
down to 15%.
Saft Nickel Supercapacitors are designed
for critical engine starting applications
• Robust, durable and safe alkaline technology – produced in the USA
• Resist abuse, shock and vibration and designed to last the life of
industrial equipment
• Asymmetric nickel-carbon design for greater energy
• Extremely long storage life and very low self-discharge
• Simple installation and maintenance-free operation
• Typically installed with existing batteries as the primary source of
engine cranking power
This graph compares the supercapacitor and battery
currents when starting a 12 litre engine at - 40°C. The Saft
Nickel Supercapacitor provides 1600 A while the battery
only reaches 400 A.
Saft Nickel Supercapacitors eliminate non starts resulting from dead
batteries as well as ending the inconvenience and associated costs of
jump-starting broken down vehicles. They are also ideal for applications where no-idle regulations require multiple start/stop operations.
To see installation configurations, please ask for Saft’s
datasheets for wayside, military vehicle and engine starting
applications.
Saft
12, rue Sadi Carnot
93170 Bagnolet - France
Tel. : +33 1 49 93 19 18
Fax : +33 1 49 93 19 64
www.saftbatteries.com
Saft America Inc.
711 Industrial Boulevard
Valdosta, GA 31601 - USA
Tel.: +1 229 247 2331
Fax: +1 229 247 8486
www.saftbatteries.com
At – 18°C (0°F) the battery struggles to achieve a cranking
voltage, while adding a supercapacitor restores the voltage
(and therefore RPM) back to what it would be at + 25°C
(+ 72°F).
Document N°21930-0715-2
Edition: July 2015
Data in this document is subject to change without notice
and becomes contractual only after written confirmation.
Photo credits: Saft, Fotolia, Conception: Cap Interactif - 608
Imprimé sur papier PEFCTM
®Saft - Société par actions simplifiée au capital de 31 944 000 €
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