Nexperia Residential Heat Pump
Direct replacement for gas condensing boilers and air conditioning units
As demand rises for ever more efficient heating and cooling of homes, this has seen a significant push towards efficient residential heat pumps. As a direct replacement for gas condensing boilers and air conditioning units, residential heat pumps can provide year-round comfort control by supplying heat in the winter and cooling in the summer. For newer buildings and specifically for net zero carbon buildings less than 150 m2 then typical heating power ratings are below 6 kW. Regardless of whether they are air-to-air or air-to-water systems, efficiency and carbon footprint can be further improved when powered by a photovoltaic (PV) installation.
Design considerations
- Heat pumps can either use a single unit design or split (Outdoor / Indoor) design and range from 2 kW to 20 kW, with typical modern insulated buildings requiring less than 6 kW.
- Depending on heating level, various voltage and power requirements are needed for the compressor, circulator pump and fan
- Drive is towards more efficient PFC topologies, with new Vienna rectifier / totem pole topologies preferred
- IGBTs and new wide-bandgap technologies provide the efficiencies required
Block diagram
Power Factor Correction (PFC) & Isolated DC/DC Converter Stage - Suggested products
- GaN FET: 650 V
- Discrete IGBTs: 650 V, TO-247-3L
- MOSFETs: 40-100 V, RDSon < 10 mΩ, LFPAK / CCPAK
- SiC diode: 650 V, DPAK / D2PAK / TO-247
- Recovery rectifier: 200 / 650 V, CFP
Silicon Carbide (SiC) diodes offer lower switching losses and higher efficiency, significantly enhancing power converter performance. Nexperia's SiC diodes are exceptionally robust against surge currents due to their merged PiN Schottky (MPS) structure, eliminating the need for additional protection circuitry. The 650V SiC diode range supports a maximum continuous forward current (IF max) from 6A to 20A, available in various packages such as DPAK, TO-220-2, D2PAK, and TO-247-2.
Motor drive for compressor, circulator pump and fan - Suggested products
- Compressor: MOSFETs, 80-100 V, RDSon < 3.5 mΩ, LFPAK / CCPAK
- Compressor: 650 V GaN FET, RDSon 14-60 mΩ
- Discrete IGBTs: 650 V, TO-247-3L
- Fan (3-phase / DC brushed): MOSFET, 40-100 V, RDSon 2-10mΩ, LFPAK33 / LFPAK56(E)
- Pump control: MOSFET, P-channel, up to 60 V, MLPAK33 / LFPAK56
- Gate drivers: 4 A, half-bridge, for low voltage MOSFETs
The NGD4300 is a powerful 4A gate driver for high-side and low-side N-channel MOSFETs in a half-bridge setup for motor drives in heat pumps. It ensures precise and efficient switching of MOSFETs, which reduces power losses and boosts system efficiency. Thanks to its Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) technology, it can handle negative voltages down to -5VDC, protecting it from damage caused by unexpected voltage spikes. This makes it very reliable in tough conditions. It also works with both TTL and CMOS signals as low as 2.5V, making it easy to integrate into different designs.
Touchscreens, keypads, display panel and other interfaces - Suggested products
- Backlighting and signalling: LED drivers, NCR family
- ESD protection: 3.3-5 V, low frequency
- Voltage translators (level-shifters): LVC family
- Control logic: LVC family
- Analog switches / Multiplexers: HC(T) family
Displays and other user interfaces are critical for monitoring and controlling the system's performance. Protection from electrostatic discharge (ESD) is essential for their reliability and longevity. Nexperia's extensive portfolio for ESD protection offers outstanding performance in the smallest possible form factor. The DSN0603 package is as small as 0.6 x 0.3 x 0.3 mm, ideal for the compact and often space-constrained designs of heat pump interfaces.
Other suggested products
- Recovery rectifier: 200 V, CFP
- Gate Driver: Single bipolar transistors ≤ 100 V, IC(max) < 60 mA, SOT23/323
- Gate Driver (MOSFET ≤60V): HC(T) buffer / drivers / Schmitt triggers
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