Batteries and Capacitors- Comparison And Working

Batteries and capacitors are both used in most of the electronics components. Additionally, both of them are known because they can store charge. This way both of them are often confused with each other. Here we will discuss in detail about each of them and how we can efficiently differentiate between them.

Are the batteries the same as the capacitors?

No, the batteries and the capacitors are not the same things at all. Although both of them can store charge, however, the techniques and uses for both of them are different. Here we will discuss how both of them are different.

Difference In The Energy Density Of Batteries And Capacitors

One of the very first differences between the capacitors and batteries is the energy density difference between them. The batteries unlike the capacitors can provide very high energy density. This means that the batteries can store a lot of charge for a long time. However, the energy density of the capacitors is very low as compared to that of the battery.

They are also able to store charge, but they cannot hold a lot of charge because of the difference in the construction of both.

Difference In The energy storage Method Of The Batteries And Capacitors

The next noticeable difference between the batteries and the capacitors is that they have different methods of storing charged. This is because of their construction. In the batteries, the charges are stored in the form of potential energy in the chemical form.

Opposing this the capacitors store the potential energy as a measure of difference in the electrical field between the plates of the capacitor.

Difference In The Charging And Discharging Times Of The Capacitors And Batteries

Another major difference between these two is that they both have different charging and discharging times. As the batteries store power in chemical form, they take a lot of time to be fully charged. Same if the case with discharging them. Opposingly the capacitors take a very short time to be charged and discharged.

3.2V 20A Low Temp LiFePO4 Battery Cell -40℃ 3C discharge capacity≥70% Charging temperature：-20~45℃ Discharging temperature: -40~+55℃ pass acupuncture test -40℃ maximum discharge rate：3C

READ MORE

Can capacitors kill your batteries?

As the capacitors are said to have a very short charge and discharge time, people are often confused if the capacitors will be able to kill a battery or not. Considering the confusion, here we will discuss the effects of the capacitors on a battery.

How is the capacitor effective for the batteries in the short term?

If we talk about the short term, we will be taking the instance of a battery connected to a capacitor in a circuit. Now as the circuit is closed, and the current starts to flow from the battery to the capacitor, the first thing to notice is that the batteries mostly provide DC whereas the capacitors are known to block DC. So, there will be no reaction.

If we think out of the box and use a system where the capacitor allows the charges to flow. In this case, there will be a moment where the charge will reach the value of Q=C*V. This means that the electric field between the plates of the capacitor is canceling the effect of the electric field generated by the battery.

At this point, there will be no further flow of charges and the battery will not further discharge. So, we can conclude that the battery will not be killed by the capacitor.

Low Temperature High Energy Density Rugged Laptop Polymer Battery Battery specification: 11.1V 7800mAh -40℃ 0.2C discharge capacity ≥80% Dustproof, resistance to dropping, anti - corrosion, anti - electromagnetic interference

READ MORE

What is the effect of the capacitor for the batteries in the long term?

If we talk about the long term, we will check if the capacitors will be able to replace the batteries in the future. From the way both of them work and their charging and discharging times, we can set hat capacitors that are very different from batteries. Even if we try to make a capacitor store a lot of charge, it will not be able to reach the discharge time of a battery.

This means that the capacitor will not be replacing the batteries in the future. However, for some applications, supercapacitors can be used instead of batteries but for the energy to size ratio, this is still not an efficient solution

How does the capacitor work?

Now as we know that the batteries and capacitors work differently, there are great chances that most of the people are looking to learn about the working of capacitors. So, here we will discuss how the capacitors work and all other interesting things that you need to know.

Construction Of The Capacitors

The capacitors are made in the almost same way as the batteries. They have two metal plates which are separated by an electrolyte. In most of the capacitors, the electrolyte is a sheet of paper dipped in oil. This electrolyte keeps the two metal plates separated and also allows the charges to flow between them.

How it stores the energy.

When a voltage is applied across the terminals of a capacitor, it creates a potential difference between them due to this, the positive charges do on one terminal of the capacitor while the negative terminals go on the other. This is the electrical field that is created between the terminals of the capacitors.

When a load is connected to the capacitor, the charges flow from one terminal to the other or the capacitor is discharged.

Why are the capacitors used?

The main reason for using the capacitors in most of the electronics is that they can store charges. This charge is used to provide instant power to the parts and components of the electronics whenever they are started. In other cases, capacitors are also used because they block DC and allow AC to pass.

What is the benefit of using the capacitors?

Some benefits of using capacitors are listed below.

• They remove ripples from the current providing a constant wave without peaks and valleys.

• Blocking DC and allowing AC is a great benefit of using capacities in many electronics.
  

• In things like camera flash, capacitors are the best thing to use because they provide high discharge speed.
  

Conclusion

The confusion between the capacitors and batteries can be very distracting for people. That is why here we discuss almost all the aspects of the differences between the batteries and the capacitors.