The present invention deals with a method of and a device for producing heat/cold with electric energy. The present invention can be used in refrigerators and air-conditioners of high efficiency as well as for heating spaces by taking energy from outer areas having deep cold.
Cold producing machines usually produce cold from a supplied energy, such as mechanical, thermal or electrical energy. In known cooling devices, a working gas is Freon which inevitably escapes to the atmosphere. When refrigerators or air-conditioners are utilized in great numbers, the Freon leaks lead to substantial damages to the ecology. It is therefore extremely undesirable to use such refrigerators and air-conditioners.
On the other hand, semiconductor elements are known, in which when electric current is supplied through the semiconductor element, one end of the element becomes hot while the other end of the element becomes cold. Such an element usually includes a negative semiconductor branch and a positive semiconductor branch. The substantial disadvantage of such elements is their high thermal conductivity since they are formed as monolithic semiconductor elements. A direct flow of heat from the hot end to the cold end occurs in these elements, which reduces efficiency of the system and makes it unsuitable for practical use.