If you want to know why the electrolytic capacitor explodes, first you have to know what the electrolytic capacitor is. An electrolytic capacitor is a kind of capacitance. The metal foil is the positive electrode (aluminum foil or tantalum foil), and the oxide film (aluminum oxide or tantalum oxide), which is closely attached to the metal, is the dielectric. The cathode consists of conductive material, electrolyte (which can be liquid or solid), and other materials. Because the electrolyte is the main part of the cathode, the electrolytic capacitor is hence named. At the same time, the capacitance of the electrolytic capacitor cannot be connected wrongly.

Tantalum electrolytic capacitor mainly consists of sintering solid, foil winding solid, sintering liquid, and so on. The sintered solids account for more than 95% of the current production and are mainly composed of non-metallic sealed resin.

The aluminum electrolytic capacitor can be divided into four types: the lead type aluminum electrolytic capacitor; Horn type aluminum electrolytic capacitor; Bolted aluminum electrolytic capacitor; Solid aluminum electrolytic capacitor.

The possible reasons for the capacitor explosion are as follows:

1. The breakdown of the internal components of the capacitor is mainly due to the poor manufacturing process.
2. The capacitor is damaged by insulation to the shell. The high voltage side of the capacitor is made of a thin steel sheet. If the manufacturing process is poor, the edge is uneven with burr or serious bend. The tip is prone to corona, and the corona causes the breakdown of oil, the expansion of the case and the drop of oil. In addition, when the cover is closed, if the welding time is too long, the internal insulation burns and produces oil and gas, causing the voltage to drop greatly and damage.
3. Poor sealing and oil leakage. The insulation resistance is reduced due to the poor sealing of the assembly casing. Or the oil spill caused the oil surface to drop, resulting in the extreme shell direction discharge or component breakdown.
4. The belly and the inside dissociate. Due to the internal corona, breakdown discharge, and serious dissociation, under the action of overvoltage, the starting free voltage of the element is reduced to the working electric field intensity. This causes the physical, chemical and electrical effects to accelerate the aging and decomposition of the insulation, producing gas and forming a vicious circle, the pressure of the case is increased, causing the drum to explode
5. A capacitor explodes with an electric charge. All capacitors with rated voltages are forbidden to be charged. Each time the capacitor bank recloses, the capacitor must be discharged for 3min after the switch is disconnected. Otherwise, the voltage polarity of the closing moment may be caused by the opposite polarity of the residual charge on the capacitor. For this purpose, a capacitor bank with a capacity of more than 160kvar is generally required, and automatic tripping device should be installed when there is no pressure. And the capacitor bank switches are not allowed to install automatic reclosing.

In addition, it may be caused by high temperature, poor ventilation, high operating voltage, excessive voltage harmonic component or operating overvoltage, etc.

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