We are using two 3V 3400F Maxwell supercapacitors in series for our project. I want to have a switch I can engage to connect the capacitor bank to a bleed-down resistor (obviously using a contactor/relay) in order to safely discharge the capacitors in a safe, and timely manner. Are there any products or specifications that would be ideal for this?

Thanks,
Justin

 

Use the formula,
time-constant = R x C

For example, if R = 1Ω and C = 3600 F, one time constant = 3600 seconds = 1 hour

In your case, you want to wait 5 times or 6 times the time constant, i.e. 5 or 6 hours to discharge the capacitor. The initial current will be 3A. The resistor has to dissipate 10W initially.