Heat Pumps
A sustainable, power efficient alternative to traditional heating systems
In today's world of rising energy costs and increasing environmental concerns, everyone is looking towards innovative solutions to reduce expenses and contribute to a more sustainable future. Heat pumps offer a compelling alternative to traditional heating systems, providing efficient, reliable, and eco-friendly warmth.
By harnessing renewable energy sources like the outside air, heat pumps can significantly lower energy consumption, reduce carbon footprints, and improve bottom lines. Discover how heat pumps can help you achieve your sustainability goals while enjoying the benefits of a comfortable and cost-effective heating solution.
Heat pumps: Increasing popularity and efficiency
Avnet Silica's resident Power expert, Thomas Hauer delves into the world of heat pumps with Electropages, discussing their increasing popularity and efficiency compared to traditional heating methods. Heat pumps can achieve a coefficient of performance (COP) of around 4, meaning they can produce four units of heat energy for every unit of electrical energy consumed. This makes them significantly more efficient than traditional electric heaters. Additionally, heat pumps reduce reliance on fossil fuels and contribute to lower carbon emissions. They are also versatile and capable of both heating and cooling spaces. However, challenges such as inrush current and the need for complex power electronics systems present obstacles for manufacturers.
Heat Pumps: Thomas Hauer's interview with electropages
Despite these challenges, the growing demand for heat pumps, driven by rising energy costs and stricter regulations, is evident. The future of heat pumps appears promising, with advancements in technology addressing these challenges and further improving their efficiency and performance.
How do heat pumps work?
Imagine a heat pump as a reverse refrigerator.
When you put a can of soda in a fridge, it gets cold because the refrigerator extracts heat from the inside and releases it outside. A heat pump does the opposite: it extracts heat from the outside air (even in cold weather) and releases it inside your home.
Here's a breakdown:
- Heat Extraction: A refrigerant flows through a system, absorbing heat from the outside air.
- Compression: This heat-laden refrigerant is compressed, increasing its temperature.
- Heat Transfer: The hot refrigerant flows through coils inside your home, releasing heat into your living space.
- Cooling and Repeat: The refrigerant then cools down and the cycle repeats, continuously transferring heat from the outside to the inside.
Essentially, a heat pump leverages the natural heat energy available in the environment to provide warmth, making it a highly efficient and sustainable heating solution.
Many modern heat pumps are designed to be reversible, allowing you to use them for both heating and cooling throughout the year. This versatility makes them a highly efficient and convenient choice for climate control in many regions.
How heat pumps work (source: onsemi)
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Technology
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Solutions
onsemi EliteSiC Solutions
Avnet Silica and onsemi are working together to deliver the SiC solutions needed to realize a greener, cleaner energy infrastructure.
PFC Controllers
Efficiency improvement and power factor optimisation. Reducing of voltage drops and current losses. Improvement by reducing harmonics and voltage fluctuations. Ensures compliance with standards, thus avoiding penalties.
Power discretes
Optimised for High temperature operation. Diodes: Low series-resistance temperature dependency. MOSFETs: Stable reverse recovery over temperature. Improved parasitic capacitances for high frequency and high efficiency application.
Gate Drivers
Gate drivers are the interface between control signals and power switches. onsemi offers broad portfolio of isolated and non-isolated drivers for a variety of power switches with advanced features to boost your system applications.
FS7 IGBT
The 1200V Trench FS7 IGBTs are newly used and recommended for the PFC stage of a three-phase heat pump system. R-series with low Vce(sat)=1.37V at rated current @25°C. Available packages: TO-247-3L, TO-247-4L, QD3, Bare die.
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