Capacitors in the EU

Power capacitors may constitute “electrical and electronic equipment” in their own right in the sense of the RoHS Directive when they are not fitted as a component into another item of equipment, but are installed independently of such equipment, for example in an industrial power supply installation.

Capacitors play a key role in almost all electrical and electronic equipment and electrotechnical installations. These versatile components store electric charges and smooth or buffer currents and voltages. They are used to filter and suppress HF interference as well as to decouple signals in telecommunications applications.

Aluminium electrolytic capacitors offer very high capacitance values per unit volume over a wide range of rated voltages. They are based on aluminium films whose surface has been enlarged by an etching process.

Power capacitors are occasionally used for EMC purposes; nevertheless, they are purely passive components the function of which cannot be disturbed by electromagnetic influences and which do not themselves generate disturbance. They therefore lie outside the definition of “apparatus” of the EMC Directive.

These directives will be considered individually below in relation to power capacitors. According to Article 1 of the Low Voltage Directive itself, the directive governs the safety of “electrical equipment” where operated within a range from 50 to 1000 V AC or 75 to 1500 V DC.

Depending on the technology and applications, capacitors are manufactured for voltages from a few to over 10 000 volts. Their capacitance values extend from picofarads to the lower farad range. Aluminium electrolytic capacitors offer very high capacitance values per unit volume over a wide range of rated voltages.