Mitsubishi power module cuts AC power usage
15th April 2025
JAPAN: Mitsubishi Electric is said to have developed an intelligent power module that can significantly reduce the power consumption of the inverter circuit driving the compressor of an air conditioner.
Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO) has been working with Mitsubishi Electric since 2021 as part of a grant programme to develop technology to reduce the amount of electricity used by air conditioners.
Mitsubishi and NEDO’s involvement has enabled the incorporation of more efficient SiC power semiconductor chips that can improve efficiency even more than Si power semiconductor chips.
The performance improvements that can be achieved by the use of silicon (Si) power semiconductor chips are said to approaching their limit, creating a barrier to reducing power consumption further.
Rather than simply replacing Si power semiconductor chips with SiC power semiconductor chips, which are more efficient but more expensive, Mitsubishi Electric has now succeeded in developing what it claims is an industry-first technology that connects Si power semiconductor chips and SiC power semiconductor chips in parallel. This enables it to draw out the characteristics of both chips depending on the operating conditions of the air conditioner.
Specifically, what has been developed is a mounting technology that can house a new drive circuit IC suitable for parallel-connected elements, a power semiconductor chip in the same module and an intelligent power module (IPM) that integrates these technologies .
Calculations based on air conditioner operating conditions estimated from the operating characteristics of the new IPM prototype are said to have shown by 41% reduction in energy compared to the compressor drive inverter circuit of a conventional IPM equipped with only Si power semiconductor chips.
The external dimensions of the newly developed IPM are said to be the same as those of conventional products equipped with Si power semiconductor chips, making it easy to replace it with existing boards equipped with conventional IPMs.
Mitsubishi Electric says it will begin shipping samples of the developed IPM from April 22, primarily for use in air conditioners.
