Looking for Heat - Micro-photography as a community service.

    I recall Martin Fleischmann once estimated there is enough palladium to produce about half the energy in the world. I did a rough estimate and came up with more optimistic numbers, around 3/4ths. I based this on the amount of palladium used today in automotive catalytic converters. A large fraction of the world's energy goes through these converters in the form of waste heat. It is an obscene amount. You can estimate it from this figure showing 27 quads of energy used in transportation in the U.S. Bear in mind that most of this is for cars, which are about 20% to 30% efficient.


    http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy…pdf/flow/total_energy.pdf


    Suppose only palladium works, and it can only produce about the half the energy in the world. It would have to be used in central generators with long daily duty cycles, or even 24-hour baseline duty cycles. This would preclude the direct use of cold fusion in automobiles, home generators and cell phones. It would certainly preclude the use of it in things like flashlights that are used only occasionally. Whereas nickel-based cold fusion with thermoelectric batteries could be used everywhere, for all applications.


    In this scenario, we would be stuck with electric power companies, so we could not drastically reduce the cost of energy by a factor of 130 to 1000 the way I described here:


    http://lenr-canr.org/acrobat/RothwellJcoldfusionb.pdf


    On the other hand, we could phase out all fossil fuel use. Even for transportation, a combination of electric vehicles and synthetic liquid or gas fuel from primary energy sources could replace fossil fuel. This synthetic fuel might be hydrogen, for fuel cell vehicles. Oil would still be used for feedstock. Worldwide, with present day technology and without resorting to widespread use of batteries, I think we could end up with approximately 50% cold fusion, ~20% wind, ~20% solar, and 10% uranium fission, hydroelectric and miscellaneous other sources such as geothermal. Going down this list:


    Cold fusion and hydroelectricity are flexible and can be used for either baseline or on-demand generation.


    Wind is intermittent and it comes at the wrong time of day, so it is limited to about 20% with today's distribution network.


    Solar is predictable and in most locations where it is abundant, it is comes just when it is needed for peak demand.


    Fission equipment is expensive and it cannot be turned off at night, so it can only be used for baseline generation.


    Miscellaneous sources are miscellaneous.



    Here are two excellent sources of information about energy. The U.S. Energy Information Agency, mainly for U.S. stats:


    http://www.eia.gov/


    International Energy Agency, for worldwide stats:


    https://www.iea.org/publicatio…ld-energy-statistics.html

    Quote from Paradigmnoia

    I suspect that his Watts Up unit had some sort of problem, but it could be something else.


    Put it between the power supply and the wall socket, and then calibrate to find out how much the power supplies alone consume. I would not recommend putting a Watts Up between the power supply and plasma device. For that you want a deluxe $16,000 meter.

    /* perhaps you would care to outline exactly what research we should be doing */
    From amateur perspective it would be most interesting to attempt for replication of nickel / potassium carbonate electrolysis (Mills and Kneizys, Srinivasan, Niedra, Notoya and others). It's cheap and reportedly very reproducible method and Mills reported COP over 400! Nickel co-deposition, lithium addition and pulsed electrolysis wasn't yet tested. The plasma electrolysis and hydrogen corona discharge at nickel wire ala me356 are another interesting projects.

    Quote from Alan Smith

    ]BTW, have you come across any references in your library to XSH events in Pb/H? I have had no luck with my own searches


    I do not recall any reports of that. I recall a mishmash of claims:


    Pd-D mainly.


    Ti-D, soon after Pd-D announced.


    Ti-H (I think) as a source of neutrons in cryogenic systems.


    Ni-H never fully believable, I am sorry to say. The first person to suggest this might work was Martin Fleischmann, AFAIK.


    Ni-Pd sandwiches with D. Mainly Patterson. He wanted 100% control of this technology. He has 100% control now and forever, in his grave.


    Transmutations of various elements deposited on Pd, mainly by Iwamura.


    Au-H. Mainly by Ohmori, who was a superb electrochemist. I wouldn't sell this claim short. The beauty of it is, there is a lot more gold in the world than people realize. Probably more than enough to generate all the energy we need.


    Various sonofusion metal targets with D and H, mainly by Roger Stringham and Russ George. I think Roger believes this is a D-D reaction, meaning the target material does not matter. The reaction occurs in the bubble itself.


    Pt-D, Ed Storms, in one instance. No one else that I recall.


    Biological systems producing cold fusion. Who knows what to make of that? My guess is that if it were possible, living system would have stopped photosynthesizing and stopped eating chemical food billions of years ago.

    • Official Post

    From Piantelli's "Nichenergy":


    1989 (August) Prof. F. Piantelli at Physics Dep. of University of Siena discovers the anomalous heat effect in Nickel-Hydrogen systems


    1990 F. Piantelli obtains four successful repetitions of the experiment at Siena


    1991 Beginning of collaboration with Prof. S.Focardi- Physics Dep. of University of Bologna and Prof. R.Habel Physics Dep. Of University of Cagliari


    1993-1997 Collaboration of F.Piantelli with the group of experts in catalysis and hydrogenation of the Catalysis Research Laboratories of San Donato Milanese SNAM Spa (ENI). This collaboration was useful to clarify the multiple secondary and accessory sources of heat in the reactors. This research was essential because the simple calorimetry does not allow to separate the various energy contributions being the energy an integrable quantity. During almost three years of collaboration we were able to establish some fixed points on the energy contributions of the various phenomena taking place close to a Ni metal surface (in particular even with the Ni powder) in presence of H2. Since the results of the first experiments excluded any D isotope contribution due to some specific characteristics (electronic configuration, spin, ecc.) of D (some opposite to those of H), we did not continue the research work with the D. In fact introducing D inside the cell we found only an isotopic effect, i.e. a small exothermal contribution (not quantified by us), without any further gain in energy production with respect to the case of the H only. The first of the characterized energy contributions was found to be of endo-thermic type and connected to the splitting of the H2 molecule. This contribution is not univocal (catalysis effect) but variable between a minimum and a maximum from about 8 KJ/mole to about 30 KJ/mole (strongly influenced by the temperature). The second (exothermic) contribution concerned the recombination of the molecule which occurs by collision between the H atoms with right kinetic energy to overcome the energy gap, in the vicinity of the surface. This contribution gives a significant amount of energy 436 KJ/mole (the same amount is necessary to produce the splitting of the H2 molecule in absence of catalysis). The third type of (exothermic) contribution concerns the recombination between an H+ and an electron in order to form an H atom. Such a recombination gives values very close to 1312 KJ/mole (overcome the energy gap of activation). But in order to obtain this effect it is obviously necessary to ionize the H atom with a proper technique and this requires the large lot of ionization energy. They were also looking for other possible sources of energy connected to interactions between the ions H+ (suitably generated with energy supply over 1312 KJ/mole) and H- (suitably generated with exo-energy 73 KJ/mole). In his case the amount of measured energy was even bigger than all the previous. The total energy balance is always negative.
    Other experiments have been done to determine the energy balances in processes Physi-sorption (H2) and chemisorption of H and H+ in Ni (H- Chemical-chemisorption not feasible reaction. H- Physical-orbital capture as Fermion theoretically and experimentally evidenced).
    As latest research has studied the important contributions from Van't off equation vs Temperature and Pressure. This work has allowed us to identify and evaluate the accessories phenomena that occur during the process of triggering the "anomalous phenomenon"


    1993 First publication referred to 1990 replication : F. Piantelli -Anomalous Energy Production in Experiments with H and D Isotopes adsorbed in particular metallic Lattice, Atti Acc. Fis. Serie XV-Tomo XII


    1994 Successful replication of the experiment in Siena and results publication in peer review "Il Nuovo Cimento" S. Focardi, R. Habel, and F. Piantelli -Anomalous Heat Production in Ni-H Systems», Il Nuovo Cimento 107A, 163


    1996 Investigation on Ni-H system at CERN, with uncertain results: Cerron et al., 1996, Nuovo Cimento 109 A, N.12


    1996 F. Piantelli’s Group collaborates with FIAT AVIO


    1998 New experiments and other publications of Piantelli’s group:
    S.Focardi, V.Gabbani,V.Montalbano, F.Piantelli, S.Veronesi: Large excess heat production in Ni-H systems ; Il Nuovo Cimento 111 A, N.11 . 1233-1242 , november 1998
    “ The cell A producing 72 W of excess power for 278 days and excess heat of about 900 Mj and cell B was producing 70W of excess power with an input of 29W for 319 days and excess heat of about 600MJ”. The cells were sealed for the entire time of operation, without any addition of H from the outside and even from internal storage systems, to eliminate any secondary and ancillary source generated by chemical and physical phenomena (See for example the Van't off equation). The cells were turned off voluntarily to check internal data. But they could run for years as was the case also for experiments currently in operation


    1999 A.Battaglia, L. Daddi, S.Focardi, V.Gabbani,V.Montalbano, F. Piantelli, P.G. Sona, S. Veronesi:-Neutron emission in Ni-H system, - Il Nuovo Cimento Vol. 112 A , 921-931 (September1999)


    2000-2005 Research was stopped due to lack of funds, but most of all because of four removal laboratory in 5 years


    2005-2006 With subsequent activations was possible to keep activated a cell for some months (about 70 W) without external power and without addition of gas


    2007 Activity is resumed at Centro IMO (Colle val d’Elsa laboratory) funded by T.E.S.C.A. Consortium and Lumenergia Consortium. Positive results were achieved, but the activity stopped in 2009 due to funds lacking


    2008 New patent pat PCT/IB2009/007549.
    Replication of experiment with 8 month excess of heat


    2010 The company Nichenergy s.r.l. is founded with the specific aim to support the LENR research of Piantelli


    2011-2012 Three new patents pat PCT/IB2012/052100, PCT/IB2012/053615, ITPI2011A000107.
    Start of experiment longtime ignition of a reactor with new morphology of "Core" (always productive today, 20 0ctober 2015, after more than two years and a half) made with the devices and machines in the laboratory using materials and components on the market to test the stability of operation


    2013 Starting fenomenological processing connected to 22 parameters so far identified, critical for the reproducibility, for engineering and for the scale increasing


    2014 Organization of three different production lines of the "core" to find the optimum with improvement of the structure of the clusters, redefinition of the metal support of the cluster of Ni and new method to stabilize the density of the negative H ion indispensable for the calculation of reproducible performance also quantitatively


    2015 Preparation of new reactors and their ignition and starting of the project and design of a new series of reactors to get to the leaps in scale

    Quote from Alan Smith

    ETA- a hypothesis based on slim evidence that I will publish soon points to Pb/H, bizarrely, as being a possible alternative to Pd/D. That would certainly be affordable.


    I'm not too surprised. According to my own working hypothesis, you might be seeing fissioning of the Pb into lighter daughters, and possibly alpha decay. If this is true, nearly any heavy element will do the trick, although some are better (less stable) than others.


    Do you have a writeup of what you've been seeing with Pb/H?


    Quote from Alan Smith

    BTW, have you come across any references in your library to XSH events in Pb/H?


    The red Storms book has several nice tables that enumerate a number of systems in which excess heat (one table) and transmutations (another table) have been seen. If you don't already have this book, I recommend it. (What I seem to have been vaguely recalling when I made this suggestion was the appearance of Pb in a W/H2O system, mentioned in Table 9, p. 97, but looking now I don't see any system in which Pb was the substrate.)

    • Official Post
    Quote from gameover

    Hydrogen has a generally very low solubility in pure lead. Cathodically charging metals that do not absorb significant amounts of hydrogen under normal conditions should result in very large internal pressures in the metal lattice while the loaded H atoms try to find their way out. This could be one reason for the cratering you observed.


    You are almost certainly correct. How it came to be found out is the interesting part- and also the reason it took us a long time to work out what was going on. Let me write it up and then let's discuss.

    The key benefit of the use of palladium is that it absorbs hydrogen rapidly, even at very low temperatures. Nickel, on the other hand, absorbs hydrogen slowly at significantly higher temperatures. Existing scientific literature provides data that palladium powder can behave as a reverse spillover catalyst when mixed in with nickel powder, accelerating hydrogen absorption. As has been pointed out in this thread, LENR seems to be a phenomenon that takes place near the surface -- not deep in the bulk of a sample. One very probable reason for this is that adsorption takes place on the surface and then the atomic hydrogen diffuses deeper into the lattice. We don't want complete and total hydrogenation; for example, the entire sample converted into a hydride. Instead, what seems more beneficial, is the trapping of hydrogen in isolated locations without easy routes for hydrogen diffusion out of the lattice. These voids, cavities, and bubbles can either be pre-existing in the metal or actually be created by the structural changes induced by hydrogen absorption.


    It is my opinion (correct or incorrect) that a palladium catalyst is in no way required if hydrogen absorption and the creation of these hydrogen bubbles can be maximized. There are likely a number of ways to optimize this process. The removal of the oxide layer before hydrogenation begins could be a good practice along with vacuuming out trapped gases (like carbon monoxide) already present inside the nickel particles. Another idea could be utilizing cycling of temperatures and pressures to maximize absorption, or to create the desired micro-structures just below the nickel surface.


    I'm not hesitant to say that nickel hydrogen cold fusion or LENR works. I think we just need to learn how to create the cavities/voids/bubbles, fill them with hydrogen gas, and then increase the pressure inside of them.


    My guess is that Andrea Rossi utilized palladium/copper reverse spillover catalysts in his early systems he tested with Focardi in 2008. Then, as he gained experience, he utilized other methods of optimizing hydrogen absorption. For example, the use of lithium as an electropositive catalytic promoter and higher surface area nickel powder.

    Quote from Alan Smith

    JedRothwell wrote:
    Biological systems producing cold fusion. Who knows what to make of that? My guess is that if it were possible, living system would have stopped photosynthesizing and stopped eating chemical food billions of years ago.




    Good point!


    Some credits to the biologists please! Many transmuation happen on "isobares" and are more or less energy neutral.


    Some cristal structures containing manganese can be highly LENR active and are quit widespread in nature. But let's wait what the russian delivers with C137 -> Ba!

    • Official Post
    Quote from DAK

    Just curious as to how you achieve magnifications similar to an electron microscope (ca. 2-5 nm) with a light microscope?


    You don't unfortunately. I said :-


    "With a theoretical maximum magnification of 2000x, (the practical limit is probably nearer 1500X) and by the use of post-processing of the 5Mp digital images this gives us the ability to approach the lower limits of what is possible with an electron microscope."


    So ok in the uM range, but no more. To make this clearer, if I turn the volume up to '11' on this machine, I can do what an EM will do on 'mute'.

    Sorry. I misinterpreted lower to be higher resolution i.e. a lower number of nanometers rather than lower resolution. These terms are ambiguous to me. Generally lower limits means better resolution as you generally care about seeing smaller things rather than bigger. An example is lower limits of detection for some analyte to mean smaller amounts. Some people say higher limits of detection to mean seeing smaller quantities. I guess the ambiguity is to what the term lower modifies - limits or detection?

    Quote from THEDEBATEISUSELESS

    My guess is that Andrea Rossi utilized palladium/copper reverse spillover catalysts in his early systems he tested with Focardi in 2008. Then, as he gained experience, he utilized other methods of optimizing hydrogen absorption. For example, the use of lithium as an electropositive catalytic promoter and higher surface area nickel powder.


    While doing some experiments with household chemicals in the past couple days I've come up with a not-so-novel idea. Palladium could be electroless-deposited onto nickel powder while doing the acid-bath cleaning I've been mentioning in other comments (and which was used by Piantelli-Focardi in the early days). In a few tests I've done I tried depositing copper on iron filings and steel and after a while they do appear to become pink-colored, indicating successful copper deposition.


    I used vinegar (5% acetic acid) saturated with tablesalt (NaCl) to first separately clean the steel/iron pieces from their bound surface oxides. Then I dropped a similar acid solution in a separate container, with a liberal addition of oxygenated water (~5% hydrogen peroxide water solution - H2O2) in order to quickly oxidize a 2 eurocent coin (whose surface is made of 100% copper) so that the acetic acid could dissolve it (copper doesn't dissolve in this acid but its oxides will). After I obtained a nice green copper acidic solution (probably also containing significant amounts of copper chloride) I removed the iron/steel pieces from the other container and dropped them here. I kept the solution at around 50°C with an improvised low-wattage heater.


    So far it seems to work, however I have no idea of the thickness of this layer; it doesn't seem to be too tightly bound either. Here's where the Lookingforheat microscope could be useful. Perhaps a similar experiment under more controlled/professional conditions could be repeated using copper and/or palladium and the result checked there and maybe tested in an actual LFH "Model T" LENR tube?


    EDIT: note that after the treatment the acid on the surface of the treated pieces has to be quickly washed away and neutralized with distilled water or preferably an alkaline solution.

    I'm a total chemistry newbie - In my ignorance on the matter I figured that perhaps one could heat a small piece of palladium so that it forms palladium oxide. Then maybe the palladium oxide could get dissolved in an HCl solution. (after actually searching this up on Google, it doesn't)

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