Vishay's new surge current limiting PTC thermistors improve the performance of active charge-discharge circuits

     Vishay Intertechnology has announced the launch of a new family of surge limiting positive temperature coefficient (PTC) thermistors, PTCEL. Vishay BCcomponents PTCEL Series devices with a wide resistance range at 25 °C (R25), high voltage handling and high energy absorption capabilities improve the performance of active charge and discharge circuits for automotive and industrial applications.

     The device has R25 resistance of 60 W to 1 kW, maximum rated DC voltage of 500 W up to 1000 VDC, 1 kW up to 1200 VDC, and maximum energy absorption capacity of 240 J, which is four times higher than competing devices. Multiple thermistors in parallel, energy absorption capacity is higher than 1000 J. The PTCEL series resistors operate at +105 °C and have a heat capacity of 2.3 J/K for all resistance values.

     The new AEC-Q200 compliant thermistor features self-protection without overheating hazards and is primarily used for overload protection in a variety of applications, including AC/DC and DC/DC converters, load throwing, DC-Link, battery management, emergency discharge circuits, on-board chargers, home energy storage systems, motor drives, and welding equipment. The component can withstand at least 100,000 surge cycles and has highly rapid recovery at 25 kW power (without triggering a jump).

     The PTCEL series is available in two sizes: the small resistance PTCEL13R and the large resistance PTCEL17 for low and high energy applications, respectively. All devices are packaged in reel type and lead pitch is 5 mm. In addition, the PTCEL17R has 7.5mm and 10mm lead pitch, suitable for higher voltages, and can also use automatic chip processing to reduce processing costs.

     The barium titanate thermistor consists of a ceramic sheet with solder coated CCS leads at both ends and is coated with a high temperature resistant silicone coating according to UL 94 V-0. The device is RoHS compliant, C-UL-US certified, file number E148885, suitable for AC and DC use, increasing and controlling safety levels. The PTCEL13R and PTCEL17R are available in SPICE and 3D models.