Application of supercapacitors in smart water meters

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Application of supercapacitors in smart water meters [Copy link]

Traditional smart water meters generally use lithium batteries to control the opening and closing of water valves. The advantages of lithium batteries are light weight, high energy, and low self-discharge rate. However, lithium batteries have to be replaced after a certain period of use. It is necessary to visit users to replace batteries or water meters, which is a cumbersome task for water meter manufacturers and water companies. In addition, low battery power occurs randomly. If the battery power is not accurately and timely monitored, the water valve cannot be shut off reliably, resulting in billing failure, water escape, etc. This is a fatal shortcoming of smart water meters with lithium batteries installed inside, which directly affects its promotion and use.

Advantages of supercapacitors in water meters:

1. Separate the battery from the water meter, so that the impact of battery life on the water meter can be ignored, extending the service life of the water meter;

2. The large current discharge characteristics of the supercapacitor ensure the reliability of the water valve shutoff. When the external dry battery is low on power, the water valve can still be shut off using the energy stored in the supercapacitor;

3. The leakage current index that was pursued blindly in the past was mainly to ensure the service life of the battery. After using supercapacitors, the leakage current index becomes unimportant. If the battery is low, the user can replace it at any time. In this way, it not only simplifies the circuit design and reduces the factory inspection process of the product, but also reduces the cost of the product.