Return of Widom-Larsen; Revival of Cold Fusion / LENR

What is Widom-Larsen? Here is brief summary from Discover Magazine

Larsen considered other nuclear reactions that could subtly produce energy. One candidate was radioactive decay, which occurs when unstable atomic nuclei release energy in the form of radiation. Some elements found in nature, like radium, undergo this decay. Could something in the cold fusion apparatus be doing much the same? Larsen formulated a theory showing how that could happen, and in 2004 he recruited Northeastern University theoretical physicist Allan Widom to hone his ideas.

Their theory showed how a film of negatively charged electrons covering the palladium could combine with positively charged protons from the water’s hydrogen atoms to form neutrons. Those neutrons could then be gobbled up by nearby lithium nuclei, disturbing the delicate balance of protons and neutrons that keep the nuclei stable. The lithium nuclei would rapidly decay, first into beryllium and then into helium, and emit radiation. Finally, the film of electrons would absorb the radiation and reemit it as heat. Widom and Larsen called this chain of events a low-energy nuclear reaction, or LENR—a more accurate and palatable term than cold fusion. The European Physical Journal C published their theory in 2006.

The paper did not make a splash at first. By then, scores of wild-eyed papers had claimed to explain cold fusion. Yet Widom-Larsen theory had more going for it. For one, it had the authority of a respected theorist in Widom. It also had the ring of plausibility: It proposed a phenomenon permitted by the known laws of physics, no new science required. “Widom-Larsen theory is the best formulated explanation of what’s going on,” says Ephraim Fischbach, a Purdue University physicist who is not involved in LENR research.

In addition, Widom and Larsen theorized that the same neutron production process could happen in nature. Recently, scientists found one piece of supporting evidence for that. In March a study in Physical Review Letters described a large flux of neutrons during thunderstorms—perhaps, Larsen says, the result of LENRs in the atmosphere sparked by electricity from lightning.

As the Widom-Larsen theory gains traction, more physicists are emerging to put it to the test. In March, Yogendra Srivastava from the University of Perugia in Italy, who worked with Widom and Larsen on their theory, chaired a LENR-themed colloquium at CERN—the institution’s first official examination of “cold fusion” in more than two decades. Soon after, NASA released details on a $200,000-a-year research program on LENRs, led by Zawodny. “The theory made it past peer review in a real journal,” he says. “But I’m always skeptical. I only believe what I can prove.” _Discover

So far, LENR / Cold Fusion has only managed to heat a bit of water, and produce a little steam. But if engineers can take Widom-Larsen -- or something similarly plausible -- and learn to reliably produce significant amounts of heat, they might be able to create devices which could be scaled up and down for a wide range of commercial and scientific purposes.

One is not reassured by the antics of Andrea Rossi, but there are dozens of more sober scientists who are consistently reporting anomalous heat production using similar apparatuses.

More:

LENR Forum discusses this story

Widom Larsen Portal at New Energy Times

Cold Fusion / LENR / LANR: Not Dead Yet

At the American Nuclear Society national meeting in San Diego, there will be a panel discussion on LENR, on November 14, from  08:30 to noon.

"Cold Fusion" is far from dead.  A number of websites keep close watch on progress in the LENR field, including Cold Fusion Times.

Brian Westenhaus provided an LENR update about a month ago.

We have been recently informed by independent US researcher Brian Ahern that LENR can provide 45 times as much energy by weight, as diesel.

One of the most broadly informative internet news sources on LENR is Pure Energy Systems, which has been providing a comprehensive weekly report.  Here is a short excerpt of the most recent report:

• Toyota
  • Toyota is Active in Cold Fusion Research Again - Toyota the giant Japanese automaker is apparently active in cold fusion or low energy nuclear reaction research again. New Energy Times’ Steven B. Krivit reported that Toyota has apparently hired the Electric Power Research Institute a think tank in Palo Alto, California, to conduct an analysis on LENR. A series of articles by Krivit indicates that Toyota is working with researchers at Osaka University and Kobe University in an attempt to use nanomaterials and hydrogen isotope gas absorption to achieve a low energy nuclear reaction. (EnergyCatalyzer3; October 1, 2012)
• Brillouin 
  • Brillouin Energy Theory - This can be modelled in the theory of UFT228 by electron tunnelling of an electron into a barrier. The phonon wave is a spacetime wave in ECE theory. The capture of the electron by the proton is quantum tunnelling in our language, as in notes 229(1) and 229(2). (Dr. Byron Evans; September 27, 2012)
• George Miley
  • Does George Miley Have the First USPTO Awarded Patent for Cold Fusion? - This is news is a little old, but I think it is worth mentioning here, and I hadn’t posted about it yet. According to this document, on July 24th, the United States Patent Office issued a patent to George H. Miley for a process listed as "Dislocation site formation techniques". The abstract on the... (E-CatWorld; September 29, 2012)
  • Granted Patents For LENR-Related Works - We have already received two reports regarding patents granted for LENR-related works. This latest achievement has absolutely raised hopes and interest in finding an alternative source of energy through low energy nuclear reactions. For the month of September alone, there were already two patents for different technologies related to LENR. (AndreaRossiECat; October 1, 2012)
• FutureProbable
  • LENR Thermal Power Plant - Prototype of a thermal co-generation fuel types LENR nickel (~ 4g) and water (0.872g) steam with a low primary energy consumption average yield of 100% maximum power Central 315Wh power consumption on the primary 230Wh in continuous operation. in this embodiment lacks a condenser for recycling the steam from the reactor. (LENRNews; October 3, 2012)

Pordenone E-Cat Conference, October 12

• Program for Pordenone E-Cat Conference - Here’s a translated version of the program for the October 12 E-Cat conference in Pordenone, Italy. The original Italian version can be read here E-Cat | Energy safely and efficiently? Event Date: Friday, October 12, 2012 – 15:00 There is no doubt that the problem of management of energy resources has always been of fundamental importance in relation to... (E-CatWorld; October 4, 2012)
• Upcoming Pordenone Conference on E-Cat - Having finished the Zurich conference at the beginning of September, Andrea Rossi will be holding another conference in Pordenone, Italy, starting on October 12th. According to Greenstyle, Rossi himself will speak at 3pm at this conference, Aldo Proia will speak at 3:30 and Salvatore Majorana will follow up at 4pm with their presentations at the Pordenone conference. (ECatReport; October 3, 2012)
• E-Cat Andrea Rossi at Pordenone Technology October 12 - After ' meeting in Zurich , Andrea Rossi returns home for a conference dedicated to ' E-Cat . It will be the technology hub of Pordenone, 12 October next, to host Rossi will not be alone. Among the speakers of the conference entitled "Energy Efficiently?" There will be Aldo Proia , commercial director of Prometeon SRL and the licensee of the E-Cat in Italy. (GreenStyle.it; October 2, 2012)
• The E-Cat to Pordenone Technology - Alea iacta east!'s Finally out, on the site of the technological Pordenone, the announcement of the conference in which eight days between Andrea Rossi will officially launch his E-Cat for the industrial market Italian:  (22Passi; October 4, 2012)
• New E-CAT Meeting Scheduled for Pordenone, Italy on Oct 12 [Update: Rossi teases] - There’s not too much information about this yet, but a conference about the E-Cat is scheduled to be held in Pordenone, Italy on October 12. The only details I can find about this event come from an advertisement for the event was posted in a Facebook group here The text of the ad is... (E-CatWorld; October 2, 2012)

Very impressive.

It remains the majority opinion of Al Fin LENR analysts that Andrea Rossi is nowhere close to the ability to provide reliable, commercial scale LENR devices.  Rossi has been a great self-promoter, but he has also brought attention to the field at large, and to more legitimate scientists who have apparently zeroed in on a potentially important scientific phenomenon.

Watch and learn.

Cold Fusion LENR Update

While there has been no apparent earth-shaking movement on the LENR front, David Hambling offers a recent LENR update in Wired.co.uk:

Nasa
Nasa has started giving very mixed signals on cold fusion. After years of silence on the issue, a piece appeared on its website stating that LENR tests carried out at Nasa's Glenn Research Centre "consistently show evidence of anomalous heat," indicating that cold fusion was taking place. There is also a link to a paper given at an LENR Workshop held at Glenn in September 2011. However, when questioned, a Nasa spokesman stated out that there was no Nasa cold fusion project, and no budget for it. The work appears to be carried out on the side by interested Nasa scientists...

Cern
...Cern is holding a colloquium on LENR, scheduled for 22 March. This will be available live via webcast, and will be given by Francesco Celani from the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics...

MIT
MIT, which played a key role in discrediting the original cold fusion studies in 1989, might also be shifting its position a little. This January for the first time there was a short course called "Cold Fusion 101." This was taught by Peter Hagelstein, who has been working on LENR for many years. According to a report in Cold Fusion Times, the course included a working demonstration of LENR showing measurable excess of heat....

Darpa
Darpa, the Pentagon's Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, has been quietly pursuing LENR for some years. Its budget plans for next year, released earlier this month, listed some significant achievements: "Continued quantification of material parameters that control degree of increase in excess heat generation and life expectancy of power cells in collaboration with the Italian Department of Energy. Established ability to extend active heat generation time from minutes to 2.5 days for pressure-activated power cells."

However, when contacted Darpa were unable to comment on this work....

Andrea Rossi
In the meantime, Andrea Rossi has been playing the tightrope walker, always appearing to be a whisker from tumbling into the abyss. The University of Bologna terminated an agreement to explore the E-Cat after he failed to make a progress payment; but a later statement indicated it was still keen to work with him....

Defkalion Green
While Rossi has declined to give any further public or scientific demonstrations, saying that he wants to leave it to the market, his rival Defkalion Green technologies has seemingly taken a much bolder approach. It has invited independent testers to carry out trials on its Hyperion LENR reactor.

We know that seven independent test groups will be involved, but there things get a bit murky. Non-disclosure agreements are in place, and it is not certain what information will be released or when: if the Very Big Oil Corporation finds the Hyperion works, it might prefer to talk to Defkalion itself rather than publicising it....

_Wired.co.uk

Meanwhile, a wide range of scientific evidence continues to demonstrate the apparent production of excess heat in a variety of LENR experimental labs around the globe.

The problem that LENR poses for mainstream science via ecatnews

More: Andrea Rossi was recently interviewed by EcatWorld:

Design and testing of the domestic E-Cat is now complete, and the focus is now on the robotized production line in the US factory. So far, Rossi said they have not come up against any obstacles, and work is on schedule. Rossi hopes to start selling products this winter (when it is cold in the Northern Hemisphere), but allows that it is possible that delays could push that back to 16-18 months from now. _Ecatworld_via_NBF

h/t Brian Wang

It is not clear that LENR heat plants will ever be commercially viable. One is not reassured by all the smoke that Mr. Rossi continues to blow, and yet Rossi is not the only one making claims for the future of the technology. Stay tuned.

NASA's Joe Zawodny cites Widom Larsen Theory for LENR

... I personally find sufficient demonstration that LENR effects warrant further investigation...The fact that Widom-Larsen Theory (WLT) was not explicitly mentioned in the video fit the intended audience. It is not an indication that I no longer believe WLT is likely the correct explanation behind LENR. I have been consistent in my professional briefings to indicate that I find WLT is likely correct. _Joe Zawodny.com_via_BrianWang

NASA's Zawodny on Video Discussing LENR (h/t NBF)

On his own blog, Dr. Zawodny writes...:

There have been many attempts to twist the release of this video into NASA’s support for LENR or as proof that Rossi’s e-cat really works. Many extraordinary claims have been made in 2010. In my scientific opinion, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. I find a distinct absence of the latter. So let me be very clear here. While I personally find sufficient demonstration that LENR effects warrant further investigation, I remain skeptical. Furthermore, I am unaware of any clear and convincing demonstrations of any viable commercial device producing useful amounts of net energy.

_Forbes

The cautionary language used by Dr. Zawodny reflects the approach taken by Al Fin energy analysts when discussing LENR among themselves. While the phenomenon of excess energy production has been observed by many experimenters over the years, the ability to extract a practical or economical amount of commercial-scale energy has yet to be proven beyond a doubt.

Dr. Zawodny cites the Widom-Larsen Theory as being the most probable explanation of the LENR effect that has been observed by multiple scientists in their labs. Here is a video explanation of Widom-Larsen:

We will attempt to keep you updated on further scientific or commercial developments relating to LENRs.

Managing Nuclear Waste thru Transmutation and More . . .

Neutron Captures... Wikipedia

A first-of-a-kind reactor system has been set up in Belgium by coupling a subcritical assembly with a particle accelerator. The work is a major step in a program to research advanced waste management.

The equipment, known as Guinevere, is a demonstration model that supports the project for a larger version that will be called Myrrha (Multipurpose Hybrid Research Reactor for High-tech Applications). It was assembled by France's National Centre for Scientific Research and is managed by the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK-CEN) at Mol, about 50 kilometres east of Antwerp. The overall project is supported by 12 other European laboratories and the European Commission.

Nuclear terminology classifies an item of equipment as in a critical state if the chain fission reaction is self-sustaining and each reaction leads on average to one more. The term supercritical means the number of fissions is increasing, while subcritical means it is decreasing and will therefore dwindle to nothing. _World Nuclear News

Symmetry Magazine: Myrrha Reference Scheme
Dangerous radioactive isotopes with long half-lives can be transmuted to elements with much shorter half-lives, using spallation neutrons. Spallation neutrons are generated when a beam of protons is accelerated into a spallation target. Neutrons, lacking a charge, do not have to overcome the "coulomb barrier", and can be much more readily incorporated into atomic nuclei to transmute one isotope into another.

It should be noted that the initial neutron source will be Deuterium - Tritium collisions. As the project builds steam, it will incorporate the proton beam - spallation target approach to generating neutrons.

Myrrha will be able to produce radioisotopes and doped silicon, but its research functions would be particularly well suited to investigating transmutation. This is when certain radioactive isotopes with long half lives are made to 'catch' a neutron and thereby change into a different isotope that will decay more quickly to a stable form with no radioactivity. If achievable on an industrial scale, transmutation could greatly simplify the permanent geologic disposal of radioactive waste. Myrrha can also be used to test the feasibility of lead fast reactor technology and is seen as complimentary to the Jules Horowitz Reactor, a thermal spectrum reactor under construction in Cadarache, France.

The total cost of Myrrha has been put at €960 million ($1.2 billion), with 40% of this coming from the Belgian government. SCK-CEN is looking to set up an international consortium to ensure additional financing and has completed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese Academy of Sciences focusing on Myrrha. _World Nuclear News

DLR BLogs: Myrrha CutawayMore details on Myrrha from Science Insider

Several kinds of nuclear fuel cycles are implemented today: most countries chose the so-called once-through cycle which basically considers spent nuclear fuel as waste, whereas others like France, UK, Japan and soon China reprocess their spent fuel to recover the energetically-valuable material Pu (and partially U) to produce Mixed Oxide Fuel (MOX) to be irradiated in a second cycle (a twice-through cycle). None of them allow a complete use of the natural resource; when discharged from reactor, 96% of spent nuclear fuel is still composed of U and Pu which can produce electricity and could be recycled.

Fast reactors

Although U-238 represents 99.2% of natural uranium, it is not fissile. It could be fertilised by neutron capture in order to produce Pu-239 which is fissile, and work with an implementation of Pu multi-recycling. This is however not possible in LWRs since neutron capture of U-238 is not efficient enough and the neutron capture of uneven isotopes of plutonium is high, leading to the formation of minor actinides. On the other hand, fast neutron spectra relatively increase the capture of neutrons by U-238, leading to the formation of plutonium isotopes which are all fissile in such conditions. For example, the ratio of the capture to fission cross sections of Pu-238, Pu-240 and Pu-242 are increased in fast spectra compared to thermal spectra by a factor of 22, 250 and 36 respectively. In conclusion, fast neutron spectra allow the effective consumption of U-238 to produce fissile plutonium isotopes which are subsequently fissioned to produce energy and electricity. Reactors using fast neutrons are hence potentially able to use more than 80% of the natural resources instead of < 1% for LWR. _ Much more including a look at transmutation nuclear waste management at WasteManagementWorld

Fuel recycling and nuclear waste management should be seen as integral to each other. Rather than wasting up to 99% of the energy in nuclear fuel as current LWRs can do, future generations of advanced reactors should be designed to utilise at least 80% of the energy -- thus extending the nuclear fuel supply of the planet by a factor of 80 or more.

Parenthetically, transmutation by the addition of a neutron is supposed to be behind the "cold fusion" or low energy nuclear reaction (LENR) efforts of a number of startup energy companies -- including Andrea Rossi's Leonardo Corporation, Defkalion of Greece, and Brillouin Energy. The methods being used by these startups for converting protons into neutrons is far from clear at this point.

In addition, sub-critical accelerator driven nuclear reactor designs have also been proposed for the use of thorium 232, an abundant fuel which is fertile rather than fissile -- it must be fed neutrons for conversion to fissile U 233, which spontaneously splits into smaller nuclei and more neutrons.

Parts of the above article were taken from an earlier article at Al Fin blog

National Instruments' Stefano Concezzi Talks About Fusion

Energy from Fusion Video from NIWeek 2011 Featuring Stefano Concezzi
Physicist Stefano Concezzi, of National Instruments' "Big Physics," is a big promoter of energy from fusion. In a short news release from November 2011, Concezzi explains how National Instruments aids innovators. The newsrelease also makes mention of Andrea Rossi's company, the Leonardo Corporation, and its intent to use National Instruments' controllers in its E-Cat LENR reactor product.

“For more than 35 years, National Instruments has provided innovators with the tools they need to address the world’s biggest engineering challenges,” said Stefano Concezzi, director of the science and big physics segment at National Instruments. “We are excited about the many ways we are helping customers streamline the development of advanced physics and energy projects.”

Innovators throughout the world are using the NI graphical system design approach to efficiently address the world’s grand engineering challenges in medical technology, urban infrastructure, alternative energy and other critical applications. In physics specifically, NI has contributed product solutions to some of the most advanced projects including the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and tokamak fusion device control systems. Additionally, the Leonardo Corporation has intentions to incorporate NI tools in its control system. _NI Newsrelease

Concezzi also expressed some supportive sentiment regarding Andrea Rossi, to Stirling Allan of Pure Energy Systems:

Stefano Concezzi, who serves as NI's Director of Science and Big Physics Segment, told me that NI does not comment on contracts made with customers, unless the customer requests a press release; but he could confirm that Andrea Rossi is a customer.

"I would love for him to be right.

"We support every kind of research for the betterment of human kind. Whoever is interested in doing that, we would be happy to support."

So at this time, I would gather that their contract should not be construed as a validation or confirmation of the E-Cat science, but a signal of NI's willingness to help Rossi develop the technology into an even more robust embodiment, to help increase its operational stability, reliability, safety; while lowering its price point. _PESN

Frank Acland of E-Catworld.com, feels that the involvement of National Instruments with Rossi's E-Cat project should be seen as a verification of the E-Cat's validity:

Another strong piece of evidence for the E-Cat being what Rossi claims is the involvement of National Instruments. Rossi has said that the contribution that NI has made to the development of his invention has been tremendous. He said that future E-Cat models will operate using control mechanisms created by NI.

...National Instruments is a leading creator of hardware and software products used in all kinds of engineering projects around the world. The fact that they are collaborating with Leonardo Corporation in the development and production of the E-Cat seems to be a significant piece of evidence in favor of the E-Cat’s validity. _E-CatWorld.com

E-Catworld.com also has information from Rossi regarding Leonardo Corp.'s plans to build a robotic factory for mass-producing the E-Cat LENR reactor.

For those who are hoping that the E-Cat reactor proves to be everything Rossi claims for it and more, this information may provide a bit of hope in the midst of a dearth of hard information regarding actual E-Cat and LENR progress.

But there is nothing here on which one can hang his hat. Perhaps that is the way that Mr. Rossi wishes to play out his hand -- keeping everyone guessing until the end.

We at Al Fin Energy will attempt to keep you up to date on any real news in LENR science and engineering which can be discovered. In the meantime, we will try to help readers to separate real news from rumours and red herrings.

Wired.co.uk Tries to Drum Up Excitement Over Cold Fusion

It has been over 2 months since Andrea Rossi's disputed demonstration of his 1 MW E-Cat reactor in Bologna. Since that time he has been taking orders and putting people on waiting lists for the 1 MW hot water reactor, and making plans for smaller hot water reactors -- even for a future electricity generating version of the E-Cat.

UK Wired recently published a story about the rumoured upcoming business competition between Andrea Rossi's old Greek partner Defkalion, and Rossi's own company.

Cold fusion, otherwise known as "low energy nuclear reaction" (LENR) technology has yet to gain any scientific respectability. This hasn't stopped Greek company Defkalion Green Technologies launching its own range of cold fusion power plants, rivals to Rossi's E-Cat. In a press release (.pdf), the company announced they would be selling a range of units under the name Hyperion, from small domestic boilers to industrial power plants.

They have a detailed specification document for its product (.pdf) and say the launch is due early 2012. Unlike Rossi, it invites independent third parties to test its products and report the findings "under agreed protocol." Its customers will not be bound by non-disclosure agreements, whereas Rossi's dealings have been highly secretive.

Defkalion used to have a close working relationship with Rossi. Originally the company was to produce thousands of E-Cats a year from a factory on Xanthi using Rossi's design under licence. The relationship broke up in August, for reasons which have never been fully disclosed. The company has persevered with a cold fusion device of its own, which it insists has been developed independently and also that Hyperion is more stable than Rossi's E-Cat.

Like the E-Cat, Hyperion will initially be used for producing heat only, with electricity generation following. The first will be a one-megawatt device, the same scale as the one in Rossi's demonstration in October.

Curiously, Rossi does not accuse Defkalion of stealing intellectual property. Instead, he insists that it has never known the details how the E-Cat works. He says it cannot make its device operate without his secret catalyst, which it was hoping to acquire. "There are clowns saying they have a technology copied from us, actually they have just a moke up (sic), waiting for the piece of info they need to make a real copy," Rossi wrote in his Journal of Nuclear Physics blog, congratulating himself for outwitting them.

However, Defkalion spokesman Alexandros Xanthoulis told Swedish science magazine NyTeknik that they know exactly what the catalyst is. In a piece of subterfuge, a spectroscopic examination was carried out on an E-Cat being while it was being tested without Rossi's knowledge. However, to maintain "fair play", Defkalion's scientists say they developed their technology without using this information.

The lack of a patent means that (if this is not a hoax) the secret is potentially worth billions. Hence Rossi does not want anyone to repeat his results or see the kernel of the E-Cat. So long as he has paying customers he is happy for the rest of the world to dismiss the technology as not worth investigating. _Wired.co.uk

If you want to put your name on a waiting list to purchase an E-Cat from Rossi, go to ECAT.com, and fill out the online form.

The website for competitor Defkalion is defkalion-energy.com. It does not appear as if the Greek company is ready to take orders, as of yet.

The dark horse competition for LENR / Cold Fusion is Brillouin Energy Corp. Brillouin has not announced any upcoming demonstrations or finished products. The company is aiming to license its product technology to individual manufacturers by region.

Rossi does not seem to be making any friends or many admirers with his shadowy and unorthodox approach to business, testing, marketing, and manufacturing. He appears to be in serious need of assistance from professionals, if his technology offers as much promise as he claims.

More -- I almost forgot the recent Forbes article: 2012 The Year of cold Fusion. In that article, Mark Gibbs links to a sceptical blog article by an astrophysicist: The Physics of why the e-Cat's Cold Fusion Claims Collapse. In that blog article, physicist Ethan Siegel demonstrates why Nickel cannot be converted to Copper by the addition of a proton. But Brillouin, at least, is claiming to convert protons to neutrons by the catalytic addition of an electron. It is the resulting neutron which they say is added to the Nickel atoms.

Brillouin’s proprietary electronic pulse generator promotes proton-electron capture reactions. The pulses change some of the protons in metal to neutrons, and surrounding nuclei subsequently captures these produced neutrons. The subsequent neutron capture reactions generate heat, and because the pulses are controlled the thermal output from Brillouin’s proprietary technology safely provides clean heat on demand. _Brillouin

Presumably the secret catalyst which both Rossi and Defkalion claim to be using, does something similar.

Finally, there is the dark-dark horse of unconventional proton reactions: Blacklight Power. In the Blacklight approach, protons are converted to "hydrinos" rather than neutrons, causing release of heat energy (or alternatively electricity). But Blacklight aims to totally re-write basic theories of chemistry and physics, which is a greater ambition than even Andrea Rossi appears to be shooting for.

Meanwhile, a number of academic researchers continue to study the chemistry and physics of what is called either "lattice assisted reactions," "low energy nuclear reactions," or "cold fusion." Several researchers have reported observing both anomalous heat and transmutation isotopes, so until these results can be explained, total scepticism would seem to be uncalled for.

Multiple Viewpoints on LENR and Cold Fusion

Brian Westenhaus has an interesting look at recent developments in LENR / Cold Fusion. Brian links to two posts at Next Big Future (here and here) where one can find Brian Ahern's presentation slides on his proposed mechanism for the LENR effect. One can also find slides from NASA's look at LENR at the links, along with a number of other "links to links" which provide even more scientific research information on the LENR theory.

Wow. The Zawodny slides are a short review of the technology, an organizational chart and a short list of the engineering needed to take LENR one more step closer. The prime notation might be slide 30, pointing up the need to engineer both the composition and structure of reactor materials.

Zawodny also offers us an informative slide worthy of long term and widespread dissemination. Simply put, chemical energy release compared to fission nuclear = 1:1,900,000 ; fusion nuclear = 1:7,300,000 ; LENR = 1:8,000,000. This clears up why the non-mainstream physicists and the followers are so tenacious on staying with the technology until it becomes useful. Thank you Mr. Zawodny. _NewEnergyandFuel

So it looks like more information is being made available to the general public from the actual researchers who have looked into LENR / cold fusion. This newly public information should help fence sitters to decide one way or another, or perhaps to at least look for a better seat on the fence.

Al Fin energy analysts have felt for decades that the Cold Fusion / LENR phenomenon is an intriguing phenomenon that is waiting for a scientific explanation. But even with this new information, it is not clear that we are close to reliable commercial products.

Andrea Rossi's E-Cat presentations have been permeated in secrecy, so that no iron-clad evaluation of the technology was possible, at least according to most observers present. But we should not judge the entire LENR phenomenon by Mr. Rossi's wild and perhaps premature rush to the marketplace.

The information that is coming from Ahern, Bushnell, other NASA scientists, Miley (U. of Illinois), Piantelli, etc. seems to confirm that there is indeed something there to study. But we will not know what to expect from the phenomenon until either the basic science is explicated, or until someone like Rossi presents reliable, workable products as a fait accompli.

Call for a US National Research Program to Study Cold Fusion / LENR

The Vice Chancellor for Research of the University of Missouri is calling for an intensive national effort to define the science behind "cold fusion," or the "low energy nuclear reaction" phenomenon. Chancellor Duncan's call joins that of NASA's Dennis Bushnell and other researchers, for science to look more closely at LENR / cold fusion.

LENR research has the potential to solve climate and energy problems, Dennis Bushnell, chief scientist of NASA’s Langley Research Center, said in a June interview with EV World, a sustainability publication.

Before it can be labeled, though, scientists need a better understanding of it, Duncan said.

“The biggest problem in this whole area is that everyone is trying to say what the origin of effect is,” he said. “What we’ve got are different camps convinced it’s either fusion or LENR or some type of new enhanced chemical effect. We just don’t have an understanding in the physics yet. … We need to slow down and do careful scientific inquiry.”

Duncan is proposing the federal government offer a competitive grant that would let university researchers more thoroughly study excess heat phenomena. MU likely would vie for such funding, but there are professors at several major research universities interested in the field.

“Without a nationally funded program, you’re going to be limited by the scope of what you can do,” he said.

...Energetics Technologies is an Israeli company that has been able to generate low-energy heat in some settings over the past seven years.

Company leaders in 2009 let Duncan review their work as an outside skeptic for a CBS “60 Minutes” episode on cold fusion. The company has since set up shop at MU’s Life Science Business Incubator.

Not all private businesses, however, are willing to share their discoveries. Italian inventor Andrea Rossi says he has devised a catalyzer that can produce large amounts of energy. He won’t let anyone investigate his research, and some have dismissed his so-called “E-Cat” technology as a scam.

Regardless of the legitimacy, Duncan said the claim should highlight the need for public research.

“There are going to be more and more people like Professor Rossi popping up with empirical results that no one really fundamentally understands,” he said. “Whether there’s something here or not, it makes a lot of sense to systematically be working on this.” _ColumbiaTribune

As time goes by, and the basic scientific questions about the underlying mechanisms of the cold fusion / LENR phenomenon remain unanswered, expect more institutionally based persons such as the vice chancellor to speak out to demand more definitive research.

Whether or not this phenomenon (or these phenomena, if multiple mechanisms are involved) offers the hope for an abundant and clean new source of energy at all acales, or whether it is merely an intriguing scientific phenomenon which may or may not lead to bigger things -- it deserves to have its day in the open court of honest science.

Lessons and Developments in Cold Fusion / LENRs

Ruby Carat of the Cold Fusion Now website introduces us to a series of short video segments from a talk on cold fusion from Dr. Michael McKubre of SRI. Ruby describes the content of the videos and provides useful links to more information. These videos provide useful background into LENR / cold fusion from both historical and scientific standpoints.

Francesco Piantelli began exploring Ni-H cells in the early nineties. It is this type of reaction on which inventor Andrea A Rossi based his Energy Catalyzer steam generator. Dr. McKubre will discuss that development at the end of the talk because as a news topic, its “hot and interesting.” He also says “Some recent results at SRI seem to support the idea that nickel and light hydrogen also can support nuclear level excess heat.”

In video 2 following, he says of the excess heat generated by a cold fusion energy cell, “This amount of heat is 100 or 1000 times the sum of all possible chemical energies combined.” _ColdFusionNow

Developments in LENR have continued apace, with Andrea Rossi traveling to Massachusetts for negotiations (via Ecatnow) on the setting up of a LENR manufacturing plant there. Rossi is predicting the production of electricity from E-Cats (via Ecatnews) within a year. Defkalion has also announced the imminent readiness of their own LENR product for testing.

But the most interesting development by far is the announcement by Brian Wang (via Brian Westenhaus) that accomplished materials scientist Brian Ahern intends to publicly explain the science of LENRs as an obscure attribute of nano-magnetism.

Apparently, energy localization at the nano-scale circumvents the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. Nature evolved to take advantage of these energy exchange mechanisms available only at this size scale (which is why ordered structures can be created from chaos, such as after the big bang.) This phenomenon was identified in 1996 as Oscillons in relation to Chaos Theory, but has never been clearly understood until now.

Ahern states ” In 1995 we made a major and fundamental discovery regarding nano-material properties. This almost completely unknown to most technologists. All materials processed within certain tolerances experience very different vibrational modes than all other aggregations of matter. It provides a concise explanation for the bioenergetics observed in all aspects of nature.” _BrianWang

As mentioned before, it is the science of LENRs, rather than the possible revolutionary economic impact, which interests Al Fin energy scientists and analysts the most. Although opinion here is mixed, most Al Fin analysts see Andrea Rossi's antics as something of a circus sideshow.

We are still waiting for scientists and engineers to convincingly demonstrate the consistent and precise production of excess heat from LENRs, and on an economical basis which can be safely and commercially scaled up.

The set of McKubre videos beginning with tape 1, above, should provide a useful introduction to the topic for newcomers.

McKubre Q&A and wrapup -- worth a look

Did Andrea Rossi Jump the Gun with His 1 MW E-Cat LENR?

New information from fusion physicist George Miley (Vortex via EcatSite and Ecatnews.net) helps to clarify a few matters regarding recent developments in LENR research.

Professor Miley and his students are proceeding with their own line of research into LENRs, and are making what is described as dramatic improvement. Miley's slides are available for download.

The slides show early runs. Recently they made a batch of material that
works dramatically better. However, they only made one batch so far and
they have run samples from it four times. They will need to make more
batches to confirm that they can reproduce this improved performance. Miley
is "optimistic but cautious" that the next batch will work as well as this
one did.

In the four runs they have achieved fairly stable output ranging from ~75
to ~200 W. The runs last around six hours. As shown in slide 48, the sample
first self-heats from the chemical reaction. Because the sample is well
insulated this heat is enough to trigger the anomalous reaction -- when the
anomalous reaction occurs. You do not usually need external heating
although the cell is equipped with a heater (slide 47).

The samples are ZrO2 with 35% Pd loaded with deuterium at 60 psi. They
range from 15 to 30 g. The starting material is of high purity and comes
from Ames National Laboratory. Additional processing is done at the
University of Illinois. Miley thinks that recent success is due to their
increased attention to material purity and improved manufacturing methods,
and a better vacuum pump. Quote slide 49: "Most effort has been to develop
improved nanoparticles by comparing and down selecting a series of triple
alloys."

They are also making ZrO2Ni, to be loaded with hydrogen. I do not think
they have done this yet. We did not talk about that much.

...Based on Mizuno's data, I agree this is very complicated but on the other
hand it is also probably reliable, stable and repeatable. Mizuno tested
hydrogen, deuterium, helium, air, and a vacuum. He tested the gases over a
range of pressures. He found that when you use the same kind of gas at the
same pressure, a given power level always produces the same temperature
difference between the inside and the outside. So, when anomalous power
produces a certain temperature you can find that point on the output curve
and you can say with confidence that it is producing that much power.

Because of this complexity, Miley et al. do not know with accuracy how much
power the sample is producing. On the other hand they can be sure it is
producing heat because the sample chamber is much hotter than the outer
chamber. We know the energy is anomalous, because it produces a much larger
temperature difference than the chemical effect, and it lasts much longer:
21600 s compared to 150 s. The anomalous power continues when the heating
coil is turned off, so there is no possibility that they are mistaking
conventional electric heating with anomalous heating.

In other words, they can be sure there is anomalous heat but they cannot
say with assurance what the magnitude of it is. I think they would have to
do more calibration with a joule heater to establish exactly what the power
level is.

...Miley’s researchers are young. See slide 46. This kind of research should
be done by young people. Frankly, I would rather have one young person than
5 elderly scientists.

The material supplied by Ames Laboratory can be documented in great detail,
and probably reproduced. The additional processing performed by Miley et
al. can also be documented in detail.

Unlike Rossi, Miley et al. are willing to reveal all details of their work
and to share materials with other qualified researchers, so this material
can be independently tested by other laboratories _Vortex_via_EcatSite_and_Ecatnews.net

And so on. It is worth reading both the Vortex link above and the EcatSite link.

The impression one gets from all the information available so far, is that the science is still poorly defined, and the technology is still at an infantile stage.

It is not likely that Andrea Rossi's E-Cat reactors are ready for commercialisation or mass production. But Rossi has performed an important role by bringing this science and technology to the attention of the public and the media. Now, scientific researchers such as George Miley and others should more easily obtain funding for their research into both the science underlying LENRs and the technology required to efficiently develop efficient and reliable reactors to useful scale.

E-Cat: If Real, "It Would Be a Sacrilege to Keep it Hidden"

According to the Italian science magazine nextme.it:

...before I praise or reject cold fusion, you must know its operation in detail. And when it does not seem possible, and that’s what, to some extent, increases the doubts of scientists and experts. Because if that was really discovered what we call the miracle of energy, it would be a sacrilege to keep it “hidden”. _ecatnews

To the end of "not keeping anything hidden," there is a movement afoot to make the E-Cat nickel-hydrogen technology "open source."

Can small groups of independent hobbyists and engineers hope to replicate and improve upon what Andrea Rossi has done?

So, is it a fantasy to imagine that a small group of far-flung enthusiasts could make such a thing happen? The odds against success are high. If it were easy, it would have been done by now. I have no doubt that many LENR researchers are quietly working away trying to find the secret sauce with the hope of eventually matching and then bettering it; even as most scientists doubt the thing exists. From NASA to SRI, Piantelli to Miley, scores of clever people furnished with equipment, expertise, space and money are hammering at the forge – just doing it.

According to Rossi, he tried thousands of permutations before the reaction fired at a usable scale and under control. If we suspend disbelief – and I am certain that many well-resourced individuals will do exactly that – then those who follow Rossi may not have to climb the same mountains to reach the top. There are many clues. Even if we discount the eCat, we have Miley and Piantelli and others telling us that it is possible. Knowing that one thing – that it is possible – can make all the difference.

The Buildecat.com appears to be in its early stages, but is meant to help independents to build LENR reactors.

Andrea Rossi is not particularly friendly toward the open source ideal, and wishes to keep control of the technology as long as possible. But once outsiders take possession of an E-Cat, the technology begins leaving his hands and his control. With so many groups having worked on this technology before Rossi, it is unlikely that Rossi can control the technology via either patents or trade secrets.

It seems clear that E-Cat technology is not ready to be sold commercially, with all the problems Rossi has had at every demonstration. Instead, they should only be sold as test devices, in the original basic modular size. Even if Rossi's technology "works" after a fashion -- which he has not proven satisfactorily -- he is clearly rushing the product to market long before it is ready.

Most observers of E-Cat apparently wish for a great global energy revolution. While that would be nice, Al Fin energy analysists are more interested in getting to the bottom of the science involved in LENRs, LANRs, or "cold fusion," whichever you prefer.

Rossi Claims to Have Sold More Than 2 E-Cat LENR 1 MW Plants

Important Note: This posting originally referred to a "100 MW E-Cat plant." As was pointed out by a commenter, Rossi has not gone beyond the 1 MW size for his E-Cat. Al Fin energy analysts are accustomed to dealing with much larger sizes of power plant than the E-Cat, and subconsciously substituted the larger number. But it should be understood that the 1 MW powerplant -- if it can be made to work reliably in mass production -- will fit a very important niche market.

Stephen Krivits is accusing Andrea Rossi of committing intentional fraud, with regard to the E-Cat energy catalyzer. But other observers are saying that there is a 99% chance that Rossi's enterprise is legitimate.

Meanwhile, Andrea Rossi is claiming to have sold more than 2 of his 1 MW E-Cat LENR steam plants, and seems to be bursting with readiness to transform the world's energy scene.

Czech physicist Lubos Motl has been sceptical of Rossi all along. This article on Watts Up With That contains some interesting back and forth in both the article and in comments.

It is fascinating that so many people want to put themselves on record on either one side or the other, when the obvious rational thing for most people -- most outsiders -- to do is to wait for more information. Unless you have money or reputation on the line here, there is no need to declare a strong opinion one way or the other -- if you have no inside knowledge.

This is also the problem with other topics which grow into bandwagons and quasi-religious crusades, such as carbon hysteria and peak-oil-doom. While there is certainly insufficient evidence in support of belief in doom from anthropogenic carbon or resource scarcity, there is also insufficient evidence for complacency -- in terms of preparedness for serious fuel shortages or sudden climate shifts, from whatever cause.

Belief is over-rated. Preparedness and dynamic versatility are under-rated.

Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.

Breathless in Bologna: Waiting for E-Cat

Final Update 2100 EDT: This "after-test" report contains a lot of details about the events surrounding today's test, including videos. File download of test report from Rossi Another report on the happenings in Bologna today from Mats Lewan. The customer was running the test, according to Rossi, but now everyone understandably wants to know who the customer is. In other words, until we know who the customer is there will be more questions than answers, just like after the previous tests. It is still too early to celebrate.

Update 1500 EDT: A cryptic Twitter from Peswiki claims that the customer is satisfied with the test and is shutting down the reactor. Results: 470 kW in self-sustain over several hours. H/T Brian Wang Nextbigfuture

Update: Very little information is coming out of the test, other than that it is proceeding, in the presence of multiple observers, including an AP press observer and various scientific observers. The test itself is being carried out by a secretive US industrial concern, which is not allowing any photographs of its engineers who are carrying out the test...

A final report on the test is expected sometime tonight or tomorrow, but occasional updates may trickle down the pipe on one or another of the update links below.

In a matter of hours, Andrea Rossi's 1 MW LENR E-Cat reactor will be tested by "a large industrial entity" which has contracted with Rossi to buy the device if it meets specifications. Rossi has communicated that he is ready for the test.

Meanwhile, professor Sergio Focardi has affirmed on video that the E-Cat device will revolutionise the entire world of energy over the next 150 years. Here is further information about the work of James Patterson, the inventor of a parallel LENR system with some similarities to Rossi's device.

Here are some speculations from Mark Gibbs on how a working E-Cat -- and similar devices -- might change the world:

1. Where today you use petroleum products for motive energy (for example, to propel cars, trucks, and planes) you will be using steam engines or Stirling engines. In theory you’ll be able to drive across the country for cents. What will that do to the trucking industry? The shipping industry? Aviation?
2. With the demand for gasoline falling overnight and petroleum becoming needed primarily as feedstock for plastics, the US would immediately become self-sufficient in crude oil. What will happen in the Middle East without the huge flow of cash from the Western hemisphere? How will world politics be changed?
3. An E-Cat system could power your house or office making the existing grid obsolete. What would it mean to make your personal and corporate electricity and gas bills nearly zero?
4. The cost of manufacturing would fall very quickly with energy removed from the equation. If you are in manufacturing of any kind, this will affect you enormously. How fast could and how would you rework your corporate strategy to become competitive in a market where prices suddenly plummeted (note that the suddenly reduced cash flows would play havoc with the finance structures of many corporations). _Mark Gibbs

Here is an interesting video discussion by Edmund Storms on the potential of certain biological micro-organisms to catalyse the isotopic transmutation of radioactive isotopes to non-radioactive isotopes. If such LENR transmutation reactions take place within micro-organisms, then such microbes would have to be considered the smallest self-contained nuclear reactors on the planet.

There is a distinct "Alice in Wonderland" flavour to this entire episode, which will grow even stranger and more surreal should Rossi's 1 MW E-Cat actually pass its test. Since the test is being administered by a skeptical customer who is contractually obligated to hand over a large amount of cash if the reactor lives up to its advance billing, a passing grade on this test will mean something.

Al Fin energy analysts have remained skeptical throughout these proceedings, and yet up to this point, Mr. Rossi has basically done everything he said he was going to do. Wait and see.

Updates on E-Cat test
More updates at this link. Also check at Ecatnews.net, eCat Economics and Governance, or E-Cat World.

Fusion Researcher Dr. George Miley Appears to Support Rossi's LENR Approach

Video streaming by Ustream
Cold Fusion video via Boots and Oil
Dr. George Miley, cold fusion researcher and affiliate professor at the University of Illinois, is one of the participants in the ACS conference symposium on cold fusion video above. Dr. Miley is one of the latest scientists to suggest that Andrea Rossi may be on the right track with his E-Cat LENR device.

Miley gave a presentation at a recent Green Energy Symposium in Philadelphia on cold fusion. The ecatsite blog is featuring Dr. Miley's slideshow and slideset, which provides some documentation of his own research with a similar Ni - H2O setup as Rossi is using. Here is a small subset of Miley's slides (via ecatsite). The full set is available at ecatsite.

As you can see from the last slide, the isotope concentrations before and after running the cold fusion device are significantly different, suggesting that a transmutation process has occurred. More information on Dr. Miley's experimental setup for detecting and measuring isotopes

PDF Survey of observed excess energy in LANR reactions. The author, Mitchell Swartz, presents an interesting mechanism for production of this excess heat. Notice that author Swartz of the PDF survey prefers the term "Lattice Assisted Nuclear Reactions" (LANR) over the term "Low Energy Nuclear Reactions" (LENR), although he seems to be referring to the same phenomenon.

Brian Wang has also been covering these developments in LENR and E-Cat

BW has more news about Rossi's near and intermediate-term plans for selling 1 MW LENR devices and eventually progressing to selling home - scale devices for individual households.

No one actually knows what nuclear reaction is taking place, if any, to explain the excess heat which has been so widely observed by a very broad range of experimental scientists. Some scientists suggest that more than one type of reaction may be involved, depending upon the experimental setup.

E-Cat: A Barrel of Oil's Worth of Energy for the Cost of 1 Penny?

ColdFusionNow_via_ECatNews.net
All systems are apparently "go" for the 28 October 2011 Bologna testing of Andrea Rossi's 1 MW E-Cat LENR reactor. Rossi says that after this upcoming test, all future tests will be closed to the public.

Meanwhile, yet another analysis of Rossi's 6 October Bologna E-Cat test have been released. More information and links to data here.

At Cold Fusion Now, Ruby Carat looks at the claim that 1 gram of nickel can generate the E-Cat energy equivalent of 517 kilograms of oil. The calculations presented in this web posting concludes that one 5 cent piece has the energy equivalent of 5 barrels of oil. Assuming that the 5 cent piece is of standard weight and nickel concentration as described in the link, that would translate to the E-Cat equivalent energy of 1 barrel of oil in 1/5 of a 5 cent piece, or 1 cent.

Just 1.25 grams of nickel, the amount of nickel in one US 5 cent coin, can generate E-Cat energy equivalent to 5 barrels of oil – all without CO2 emissions and no radioactive materials.

Because the energy density from fusion is a million times greater than the chemical burning of fossil fuels, cold fusion will be able to provide energy to build a new infrastructure, this time, one based on clean, peaceful energy with access by all the world. _ColdFusionNow

Of course it seems quite whimsical -- even silly -- and will probably never work out to anything close to that level of equivalence. But it does point out the immense difference in scale between nuclear energy and chemical energy. This will be true even if the LENR phenomenon ultimately provides a somewhat lower power density than hot fusion.

Before popping the champagne corks, however, we should wait for a much better examination of the underlying phenomenon in Rossi's LENR device -- assuming it works as advertised.

E-Cat Threatens to Overturn Global Currency System, Replace Fiat Currencies

E-cat energy threatens to overturn global monetary system with new currency system to replace fiat money

A new effort to address both the ensuing global economic meltdown and an impending energy revolution sparked by Andrea A. Rossi’s E-Cat technology has been initiated by the organisation Xecnet, Ltd of the U.K.

... A new companion forum ecatfinance.org and website called Planet Pay has been set up to facilitate sales of Mr. Rossi’s E-Cats which will produce the energy to back a Human Value Unit, or HVU. One HVU is equivalent to 400 Joules of energy.

Planet Pay has no affiliation with Mr. Rossi.

On the contrary, “it is an independent private initiative for individuals to exercise their innate human freedom for taking collective financial responsibility, to ensure that the potential of the e-Cat technology serves the common good of humanity and is neither hijacked nor distorted towards the narrower interests of corporate finance and corporate energy.” _coldfusionnow

Al Fin energy economists feel that this is an interesting concept, but that it is much too early to talk about replacing the global economic foundations with an unproven system of currency, which is based upon a largely unproven (and certainly undeveloped) technology.

Meanwhile, Bologna is braced for the upcoming 28 October test of Andrea Rossi's 1 Megawatt E-cat steam plant. Rossi has stated that the 1 MW plant belongs to an undisclosed customer, who will set the rules for the upcoming Bologna test.

A video of the 6 October test in Bologna can be viewed here.

Pure Energy Systems features a questiona and answer session with Andrea Rossia about the 6 October test

PDF discussion of theoretical possiblities behind the LENR effect (via Peswiki)

Andrea Rossi Plans to Overwhelm Sceptics W/ Working 1 MW Power Plant

One way to prove your sceptics wrong is to actually do what you say you are going to do. Once the deed is done in a public and undeniable way, there is nothing left for the sceptics to say.

On October 7th, 2011, Italian scientific journalist Maurizio Melis of Il Sole 24 Ore, who witnessed the test in Bologna of the previous day, wrote:
"In the coming weeks Rossi aims to activate a 1MW plant, which is now almost ready, and we had the opportunity to inspect it during the demonstration of yesterday. If the plant starts up then it will be very difficult to affirm that it is a hoax. Instead, we will be projected suddenly into a new energetic era."

-- SilverThunder 05:52, 8 October 2011 (PDT) _Peswiki

But it may not be quite that simple. It seems that Rossi has not yet finalised the design for his ultimate E-cat reactor. How can he build a 1 MW plant if the basic reactor design is not yet completed?

Rossi is apparently struggling to come up with a satisfactory design for a small E-Cat. Today on his web site he issued this appeal:

“The E-Cat basic module “for the People”, that we will put in commerce within months, will be 40 cm long, 40 cm large, 40 cm high, will weight 60 kg, the shape of a cube. I need a design cheap ( I want to put it in commerce at a price of 500 euros per kW) but nice, very nice. I will buy the design which I will choose and everybody has my honour word that I will not use designs not paid. I need it within two months...

...Rossi’s business plans are still a mystery, and he’s surely taking an unconventional approach by looking for help at this point from the general public — but that is his style. No one can accuse Rossi of being conventional! Perhaps this little square box will be Rossi’s equivalent of the Model T — a cheap and simple machine that will be able to provide heat (perhaps in time electricity) to the general population. Maybe the idea is that just like with his 1 MW plant, you will be able to connect multiple boxes together to ramp up power capabilities. _E-CatNews_via_Peswiki

Peswiki
Hank Mills at Pure Energy Systems (publisher of Peswiki) claims that Rossi's LENR concept has been confirmed by the most recent test. Mills goes on to describe the type of tests on the E-cat which he would like to see, in order to probe the full ability of the reactor.

Mills is not the only one who wants to see extensive testing of the concept and the design. If the "excessive heat" claim is proven, nuclear physicists will need to examine the design and come up with a testable explanation for the unexplained energy.

It is well and good for Rossi to take a sledge hammer to his sceptics by way of a working 1 MW steam plant. But the rest of us want to know what kind of potential this approach may offer in providing a brand new source of cheap and abundant energy. We also want to know if an entire new branch of physics is about to be opened, with all the possibilities for new scientific knowledge and technology which that might mean.

E-Cat Test Yesterday in Bologna: More Questions than Answers?

After three hours of operation, the measured temperatures were still constant; by putting a hand on the insulated enclosure, one could clearly feel the water boiling.

By a conservative estimate, Ny Teknik calculated power output during self sustaining operation at two to three kilowatts. _NyTeknik_via_Peswiki

Yesterday's Bologna test of Andrea Rossi's E-cat LENR device was an apparent success. The device ran for 4 hours on self-sustain mode without power to the heating resistors of the device. Over that 4 hours, the temperature of the device was said to maintain and even increase slightly. Here is an update from Peswiki:

The good news, is that it seems the test was a success. The device continued to self sustain for hours, with almost no drop in temperature, and possibly even a slight increase in temperature! Also, it seems the E-Cat was losing a LOT of heat to the environment, before the output of the E-Cat even made it to the heat exchanger, to heat the secondary circuit. I think this is obvious for a couple reasons. First, the surface of the device itself was very hot (between 60 and 85 C). Secondly, it's probable that a good bit of heat was lost as the steam traveled between the output of the E-Cat, and the input to the heat exchanger. Because of this, whatever the output was measured to be, the output was really larger.
It seems like the device clearly showed excess energy. However, there are a few issues that need to be addressed. First of all, this comment from the report by NyTeknik.
"Power to the resistance was set to zero. A device “producing frequencies” was switched on. Overall current 432 mA. Voltage 230 V. Current through resistance was zero, voltage also zero. From this moment the E-cat ran in self sustained mode."
What the heck is this device that, "produces frequencies."
If there is a device transmitting frequencies to the E-Cat, it means that there is additional input power being consumed. We need to know how much input power did this device consumed! If it was significant, we cannot really say the device truly self sustained! It may have self sustained in a way, in that the reactors were not heated. But if power was being transmitted in any form (even wirelessly) that is a transfer of energy!
Also, what is the function of this black box? Does it stimulate the energy production in the E-Cat? We have never been told about this box before! We were told that an E-Cat could be powered purely by heat from a Bunsen burner. Why is a box like this producing "frequencies" needed at all?
We need to learn more about this device. Could this device be what Raymond Zreick called the box with the "secret ingredient" yesterday?
"We'll be able to take pictures of all the components BUT the SMALL black box with the so called secret ingredient."
We have been told the E-Cat produces excess power due to a catalyst, that is composed of one or more elements. These elements are said to be in addition to the elements hydrogen and nickel, are cheap, and are plentiful. Does the device need stimulation by the device "producing frequencies" in addition to the catalysts? To be blunt, we need more information about this device. _Peswiki LENR Update

Rossi cannot help but reveal more details about the device as public testing proceeds. But he cannot get more funding unless he convinces investors that he has something subtantive, which means more testing in front of credible observers. The pulse generator described above reminds me of the LENR approach taken by Brillouin. There is a great potential here for significant litigation involving Piantelli, Rossi, Brillouin, and other LENR developers, if each player cannot distinguish his approach sufficiently from the others.

Here is more preliminary information from Cold Fusion Now:

...E-Cat running for about 4 hours in self-sustain mode, the condition where the E-Cat is not connected to any external source of power, and the reaction continues indefinitely. If true, and there is no reason to doubt the veracity of that report, this will be a huge victory for Mr. Rossi and his partners, and a successful show of the first cold fusion clean energy technology.

Self-sustain mode was ended purposefully in order to allow the device to cool down for disassembly. Allowing scientists to view the inner components of the E-Cat will prove, at least to those present, that there is no additional input power to the reactor other than the nickel-hydrogen reaction chamber itself.

Some as yet unconfirmed data compliments of Raymond Zreick’s tweets include “the steam was always kept above 110 degrees” and a cryptic “from 15 to 19 the difference in average temperature was 5 ° C (water inlet and outlet water), for 0.6 cubic meters / hour”. That sentence may mean from 15:00 hours to 19:00 hours the difference between the ambient temperature of the incoming water and the Energy-Catalyzed hot outgoing water was 5 degrees with a volumetric water flow of 0.6 cubic meters per hour. This is the data needed to compute the thermal energy generated by the E-Cat reactor and, if true, indicates a very good output of energy.

Multiplying the total mass of the water that went through the reactor in self-sustain mode with the specific heat of water and the change in temperature will give you the amount of energy used to perform that work in joules. [Ed. note: See link below for actual details of calculation]

Change in temperature of for kilograms of water, using a specific heat of water of gives. [see link]

These preliminary numbers show an energy of 50.4 Megajoules of energy expended to heat the water. Dividing the energy above by the total time 4 hours = 14,400 seconds gives [see link]

or, a power of 3.5 kiloWatts, where power is the energy delivered each second of operation. We look forward to confirmed details tomorrow from Mats Lewan. _ColdFusionNow

The purported power delivered was 3.5 kw, using only 1 out of the 3 device modules available. The actual device is supposedly rated for ten times the power delivered. Clearly Rossi will need to extend the length of self-sustain runs, and try to ramp up power, in future tests.

The caution being exhibited by Rossi points either toward unexplained hazards of the device if allowed to run too hot, or perhaps something to hide about the apparatus itself.

More information from the test will be coming in over the next few days. But what is really needed is independent testing by top notch neutral scientists who have complete control over all the inputs and outputs of the apparatus. Until that happens -- or until Rossi produces heat / steam at an industrial scale without consuming appreciable electric power to do it -- room for scepticism will remain.

Andrea Rossi to Test E-CAT LENR Device in Bologna

Update 6Oct2011 1200 PDT from Peswiki:

The following was shared with us (over an hour ago) by one of our contacts.

"At 19:00, after 4 hours of continuous self-sustaining operation, the reaction has been interrupted as planned. This will allow some time for the E-Cat module to cool down. Afterwards, it will be disassembled and inspected. The end of the operations is planned for 00:00."

-- Nocompromises 12:00, 6 October 2011 (PDT)

- - - -

Daniele Passerini has posted some interesting updates on his Twitter page and blog. Please forgive the fact that this news is a couple hours old. He has reported that the E-Cat self sustained with zero input power, for over four hours! The E-Cat has been turned off, and will be allowed to cool. Then it will be taken apart and the inside of the device will be examined, and all the components will be weighed again (they were weighed before the test started).

http://twitter.com/#!/22passi

-- Nocompromises 11:52, 6 October 2011 (PDT) _Peswiki

Correction: Today's E-Cat test is taking place in Bologna, but apparently not at the U. of Bologna, as stated here. The university has denied that any university facilities are being used for today's LENR device test.

E-Catworld is providing several weblinks to today's test of Rossi's E-Cat at the University of Bologna.

Here is the link to Peswiki's real time updates of today's E-Cat test

- The E-Cat module will be taken apart (except for the reactor core) so the components can be measured and weighed.

- The test will last for 12 hours or longer.

- The E-Cat module will be allowed to operate in self sustain mode -- with no input power -- for an extended period of time.

- Better measurement and data acquisition techniques will be utilized. _Peswiki

Wired.co.uk article on "Cold Fusion" including prominent mention of Rossi's venture

Today's U. Bologna test of Rossi's E-Cat is claimed to be the most definitive testing yet. NASA scientists are said to be on hand [Ed.: This information comes from a comment on a cold fusion website, so may or may not be true]. Expectations are high for either a thumbs up or thumbs down from reliable witnesses.

The main question to be answered, is whether or not nuclear reactions are taking place in the E-Cat reactors, providing "excess heat" well over what simple chemical reactions could produce. If so, theoretical physicists have their work cut out explaining the nature of these reactions and future experiments which might be done to clarify the ultimate potential for the new science.