There are two pathways forward when it comes to reproducing the Rossi Effect.
1) The step by step, deliberately tedious method of nickel prep that Focardi used bake/anneal, clean, and hydrogenate his nickel. This resulted in repeated successful experiments with only occasional fluke failures due to poor hydrogen absorption -- which he was able to predict by noticing a lack of pressure drop. Think of this as the work of a gourmet chef at a fancy restaurant preparing pasta, sauce, and meatballs until it's al dente.
2) The shake and bake method, conversely, basically utilizes minimally processed (or not at all) fuel components thrown into a reactor and heated. This method almost always includes the use of LiAlH4 to provide a hydrogen source and an additional fuel not present in Focardi's tests -- lithium. The problem with this method is that nothing is guaranteed: not the production of optimal surface features, not the cleaning of the nickel of oxides, not the removal of contaminants, not the absorption of hydrogen. Most of these tests fail misrably, some of them produce very low levels of excess heat, and a small minority produce highly significant results including long periods of self sustain. The benefit is that they require much less equipment, much less preparation time, and are easier in almost every way. This method is like buying some cheap microwavable pasta from the frozen food department of Walmart. Nuking it for a few minutes in the fridge doesn't take long and you will get something in your stomach, but you won't be satisfied afterwards.
The problem the LENR community has is that neither of these methods are viable. Although dirt cheap compared to hot fusion, Focardi style LENR takes too much time, effort, and equipment. On the other hand, the shake and bake method rarely works. A few researchers "get lucky" but they are in the minority. So how do we move forward from here? Sitting around and praying that Me356 will share what he knows or waiting for information to be revealed by Rossi/IH is NOT an option.
This thread is an effort to try and come up with some tips and ideas that could create a hybrid of the two methods. We need to sort out what is absolutely critical and how to maximize our chance of success with the least time/effort required. Here are my thoughts and recommendations.
1) If you are going to use a source of lithium aluminum hydride (also known as LiAlH4 or LAH), use a brand with a small particle size that enhance desorption of hydrogen. To keep it short, smaller particle size allows for the hydrogen to be released at lower temperatures. Combine this with a slow and gradual heating process and the result will be the LiAlH4 transforming to the next stage of decomposition WITHOUT MELTING. This may be important because it will allow the surface of the nickel to be exposed to hydrogen gas. If the surface of the nickel is wetted with melted LiAlH4, hydrogen absorption may be reduced. I've done some digging and found a paper indicating that Alfa Aesar brand LiAlH4 has a FAR smaller particle size than the same chemical supplied by Sigma Aldrich. The particle size, on average, was around 10 microns rather than 50-150 microns. In addition, I've found multiple references online from individuals revealing that LiAlH4 from Alfa Aesar released more hydrogen than other brands. Finally, as a strange coincidence, Johnson Matthey owned Alfa Aesar until LAST YEAR!
2) You're nickel must be processed and cleaned to some degree. If the nickel is covered with oxides hydrogen will not be absorbed. The optimal way to do this would be via the Focardi method of annealing at high temperature in vacuum (which would allow trapped water and gases to escape creating surface cavities and other features), multiple flushings with hydrogen at a lower temperature (maybe around 300C), and then multiple long hydrogenation soaks. But as I've mentioned, almost no one has the time for this. So my suggestion would be to do some processing of the nickel while it is in the reactor. The simplest and easiest method of processing it would be to hook up a vacuum pump to the reactor while the nickel is being heated to suck out contaminants in the fuel. Additionally, even if someone did not have a hydrogen tank, they could use LiAlH4 in another vessel to produce hydrogen that could be pumped into the primary reactor. After a couple cycles of heating the nickel in a hydrogen atmosphere, at least some of the oxides in the nickel should be removed. Then LiAlH4 could be added to the primary reactor.
3) Once the nickel and LiAlH4 are in the reactor, the heating process should be LONG and SLOW -- at least through the first few hundred degrees. If the temperature increase is kept below 1K degrees per minute, the hydrogen will be released from the chemical without the LiAlH4 melting. The LiAlH4 will go from a solid to a solid instead of a solid to a liquid to a solid. This means the nickel won't be wetted. Also, going long and slow during this temperature range will give the hydrogen more time to absorb into the nickel lattice. Once about 700C is reached, the LiH will melt. If a sudden burst of excess heat doesn't happen automatically, follow Focardi's example of stimulation by dropping the temperature a couple hundred degrees and then rapidly increasing it. If you have absorbed sufficient hydrogen into your nickel and have created the optimum reaction sites (these two may go hand in hand because an optimum reaction site may also be where a higher level of hydrogen has been absorbed) you may get a rapid burst of excess heat.
4) If you have a manometer attached, you may notice swings of pressure as you go above and below 700C. Me356 claimed he saw swings of multiple bar. This is a good thing because it continues to modify the lattice of the nickel.
5) If you don't see excess heat after all of the above, you may have to go to a very high temperature (1200-1300C) or higher to make the lithium vaporize which can be important in producing excess heat.
The above method isn't optimal. I personally think the LENR community needs someone who will replicate Focardi's work and then add lithium to produce a "shortcut" to even higher levels of excess heat, like Me356 did. However, if this isn't going to happen, then the above tips may help.
