This will trip modern breakers with electronic/digital tripping devices. The standard remedy is to incorporate a set of series reactors (usually air cored) to limit the switching currents.
Even if the appearance of the failed capacitor is not abnormal, care must be taken when handling the capacitor. In particular, take care to avoid electric shock *1 due to residual charge on the capacitor, contact of electrolytic solution *2 with the skin or eyes, and inhalation of electrolytic solution vapors.
The pressure-relief vent *9 of an aluminum electrolytic capacitor used for smoothing the power circuit was ruptured and a capacitor started smoking. When the internal pressure of the capacitor rises, the pressure valve opens and electrolyte (gas) is released.
This is called the "Recovery voltage". In a charged capacitor, a charge is accumulated on each electrode. In addition, the charge on the electrodes causes a charge to be stored in the dielectric. This is because the molecules of the dielectric are dipole polarized by the charges of the electrodes (Figure 21a).
When current repeatedly flows into a defective part due to overvoltage or dielectric degradation, the capacitor continues to self-heal and loses capacitance. Generally, a capacitor is considered to have failed when its capacitance drops by 3% or more compared to its initial value. The probability that a failure will occur is called 'failure rate'.
For example, if a large capacitor is used in the smoothing circuit of a power supply, a large wave-like voltage *4 can be converted to a flat DC voltage, but if the capacitor is open, a large voltage wave is directly applied to the circuit, which may cause semiconductors and other components to fail. *4 It's called ripple voltage.
What happens if a capacitor has a high leakage current?
When a voltage is applied to a series-connected string of capacitors, the voltage (V n) applied to each capacitor depend on its leakage current. If a capacitor with high leakage current is included in a capacitor string, the voltage may become unbalanced and drift above the rated voltage, causing the capacitor to short circuit.