Design of a supercapacitor based storage system for improved elevator applications

This paper presents the design and development process of a supercapacitor storage based elevator. The main design aspects of the storage system are described: the storage system rating and the DC/DC converter design. Based on this design procedure, a supercapacitor based Energy Storage System has been developed based on a multichannel buck-boost converter. Comparing with a conventional elevation system, the designed device is able to achieve an improved efficiency, reducing grid-absorbed power and guaranteeing automatic rescue. A 5 kW prototype has been developed and tested first in simulation and then experimentally, both in laboratory and in a real elevator, validating the energy storage system design and its different operation modes.