MFMP: Automated experiment with Ni-LiAlH

    can,

    Yes, that file is the driving script. The "R" command is a repeat command that causes the script to go backward N records and repeat M times. So there are many repeats at the high temperature and the experiment can easily go for 6 days. If I determine after a while at 1150C that the experiment is non-performing, I don't have to wait all 6 days, I can tell it to jump to the script command at the start of the cool-down sequence. Also, the "T" command is to test the cell for activity. The power supply is disabled until the temperature falls by N or M minutes are exceeded. Usually the last opcode is the pressure for the back pressure regulator (only limits the maximum pressure by leaking gas out).


    I have run a number of experiments like this before where there were many manual changes in temperature and pressure. They were impossible to repeat manually - even to do a null calibration test. Because of that I was determined to have my experiments driven by a script so that I could repeat them.

    can,

    Today, it can only leak hydrogen out. This mimics the leaks that Parkhomov's system had that allowed his reactors to work. The Lugano reactor also leaked. I designed the USB controlled back pressure regulator and I may expand it to be able to add gas as well, perhaps from an H2 source or a D2 source under computer control. A company named Alicat makes a control that can do bidirectional regulation via RS-232, but it costs in the $1500-$2000 range. Mine only has about $130 in parts and expanding it to bidirectional would only cost about an additional $40 (it needs 2 solenoid valves but only one pressure sensor).

    I too have some reasons to believe that the hydrogen desorption aspect might be crucial; ultimately leaking or admitting it should accomplish the same job. Admitting it is probably more direct and efficient, however. Perhaps some limitations of the system could be circumvented with lower efforts with a reversible hydride for H storage only in a separately controlled reactor section in order to allow a hydrogen flow over the presumably active fuel independently of its temperature.

    The house furnace is programmed to be cool overnight and then warm up in the morning. The ambient temperature variations are from the heater cycling trying to get the house temperature to stabilize at the morning setpoint. The scintillator is surrounded by 180 pounds of lead, so its temperature will not change quickly. The "brick top" is another ambient measurement just in front of the lead bricks.

    Eric

    I have only about 5000s before the start of this run, but I also have about 10 hours on a separate day. If you look at the spectrum you will see a background line for 137Cs and 40K in every spectrum. These "tracer" sources are constant and can be photometrically removed from every spectrum. They provide a way to dynamically calibrate the energy scale for each file. I wrote a Matlab program to find the tracer peaks and do the calibrations. The downside? A little more zero mean noise in the background. I monitor the temperature of the scintillator (in the dataset), but I have found that the bulk of the scintillator drift is not readily correlated to temperature (at least not at the point where I am measuring).

    Quote from can

    I too have some reasons to believe that the hydrogen desorption aspect might be crucial; ultimately leaking or admitting it should accomplish the same job. Admitting it is probably more direct and efficient, however. Perhaps some limitations of the system could be circumvented with lower efforts with a reversible hydride for H storage only in a separately controlled reactor section in order to allow a hydrogen flow over the presumably active fuel independently of its temperature.


    Me356 flat out stated that he believed controlling the rate of atomic hydrogen (if your nickel was properly conditioned) was the key to producing high outputs and setting your COP at whatever you desire. One way of producing atomic hydrogen is by applying a frequency to your resistors that can dissociate the H2 and ionize the hydrogen gas inside the reactor. Secondly, he pointed out how the gas emitted from LiAlH4 or the decomposition of LiH is in the atomic form. So by cycling up and down in temperature and allowing the LiH to form and decompose over and over, you could produce atomic hydrogen repeatedly and produce a high COP.

    @TDIU

    Personally I don't believe any of that. In a high pressure system like we have here at 0.5 barA, the mean free path of a created monatomic hydrogen ion (it will not be neutral) is a micron or less. So, any monatomic hydrogen must be created right where it is needed. Piantelli tells that a properly created Ni surface catalytically splits H2 into H+ and H- ions adsorbed onto its surface - I believe that is a key. Since the Li-Al-H liquid metal hydride is coating the Ni in the fuel I am using, the hydrogen must be supplied through the hydride. Piantelli implicates the H- anion in the LENR reaction and the liquid Li-Al-H is an ionic hydride with the H being specifically an H- anion! Molten Li will not wet to Ni. Molten Li-Al will wet to Ni. This metal has a high surface tension, so it is important that the Ni is first properly prepared so that the high surface tension Li-Al-H liquid metal will wet to it. Once that happens, the H2 goes variably into the Li-Al-H hydride and the molten metal presents the needed H- anion to the Ni surface for the reaction.

    I was wondering whether, if you gather data for two to four weeks, you'd see activity other than routine characteristic peaks, e.g., a burst of radiation here or there. If so, that would dampen (in a good way) any enthusiasm about an anomaly seen during the live runs; and if not, it would make any anomaly seen in the live runs stand out all that much more. So the long period of exposure would be important.

    @THEDEBATEISUSELESS

    Molecular hydrogen can indeed easily dissociate into atomic form on many different surfaces of catalytic properties. Providing flowing molecular hydrogen over an efficient hydrogen-splitting catalyst therefore implies the formation of atomic hydrogen.


    The reason for having something different than Lithium hydride as a reversible catalyst and placed away from the active material is simply, in absence of an external hydrogen source, having a source of hydrogen that won't corrode the materials in contact with it or quickly evaporate at high temperature and/or low pressure, in addition of allowing to study the effect of flowing hydrogen over the catalyst at many different temperatures. In other words it would be more of a scientifically useful tool rather than a way for achieving a high power gain.


    As for what happens next in the reaction I have a different opinion than the participating MFMP members and I don't want to clutter the thread with off-topic debates about it.


    This being said...


    It seems that a more exciting part of the experiment has just began. Tube temperature is now at 250°C and will increase more rapidly from here according to the diagram I previously posted in comment #98.


    Latest graphs: round2-pdf-1490980354.pdf

    (By the way, the document is meant to be viewed in full screen in "Fit width" mode at a resolution of 1920x1080)

    Quote from BobHiggins

    @TDIU

    Personally I don't believe any of that. In a high pressure system like we have here at 0.5 barA, the mean free path of a created monatomic hydrogen ion (it will not be neutral) is a micron or less. So, any monatomic hydrogen must be created right where it is needed. Piantelli tells that a properly created Ni surface catalytically splits H2 into H+ and H- ions adsorbed onto its surface - I believe that is a key. Since the Li-Al-H liquid metal hydride is coating the Ni in the fuel I am using, the hydrogen must be supplied through the hydride. Piantelli implicates the H- anion in the LENR reaction and the liquid Li-Al-H is an ionic hydride with the H being specifically an H- anion! Molten Li will not wet to Ni. Molten Li-Al will wet to Ni. This metal has a high surface tension, so it is important that the Ni is first properly prepared so that the high surface tension Li-Al-H liquid metal will wet to it. Once that happens, the H2 goes variably into the Li-Al-H hydride and the molten metal presents the needed H- anion to the Ni surface for the reaction.


    You are right in that a monatomic hydrogen ion won't exist long in a high pressure environment. However, if you are supplying a frequency which excites the contents of the reactor and is producing tons of ions -- even close to the nickel surface -- some of those should ping the nickel. Me356 showed a set of pictures of the same reactor with the same total input power. With the frequencies -- their nature undisclosed -- to the resistor turned on the stainless steel tube leading to the reactor glowed bright hot for a couple of inches. When the frequencies were turned off, only the reactor itself glowed. He claimed to be able to turn the excess heat on and off at will by the application of these frequencies.


    So you don't think electromagnetic stimulation, to produce atomic hydrogen or associated ions, has any impact at all, whatsoever?

    can,

    Again, thanks very much for the great graphing!


    There will be a reasonably rapid rise from here to the 700C range where both the Li and Al will be in liquid form. The experiment will creep through this transition and following that slowly rise to >1000C while the pressure is declining. Above 1000C and with a pressure in the range of 0.5 bar absolute is where excess heat is expected. Note that the repairs to the reactor somewhat invalidated the previous calibration run I did. So, following this experiment, I will run another calibration run.

    Eric,

    I understand your point and it is a good one. It is something that can and should be done in the background between experiments. I have been doing something similar with the neutron detector which is still being commissioned. I have month-long runs with the neutron detector to get an idea what the meteorology is like. Just finished construction of a neutron source and I will be using that to optimize the S/N for neutron detection in the coming weeks.

    @TDIU,

    One of the things you have to realize is that plasma's doesn't want to form on the surface of the metals (or dielectrics for that matter). These objects are cold and the plasma is hot - 10,000K hot. That's why you see the plasma not going all the way to the inner glass surface in a neon tube. Also, Gauss' law says the electric field parallel to the metal surface must be zero - and the field gradient will be highest on the sharp edges. The result is that plasma only exists near the particle sharp edges, not near the bulk of its area. If a magnetic field creates a plasma, it doesn't get close to the particles either - plasma is plasma, it will have the same problems. In the case of the carbonyl Ni particles, the plasma won't get to the surface area or inside the nooks and crannies of the particle. I do think that plasma has its place - but I think the reasons to use it are other than creating the H ions for LENR.

    For those interested, here is a zipped csv output of the processed data I'm generating from the files coming from the shared experiment folder.

    round2-csv-1490983233.zip (3.3 MB)


    It has full timestamps and computed pressure and input power data.


    EDIT: 18:00 UTC graph update: round2-pdf-1490984269.pdf


    EDIT: 19:00 UTC graph update: round2-pdf-1490988304.pdf


    I am now plotting only the last 14 hours worth of data. The graph should be a bit easier to read. I can plot again from the beginning of the experiment if needed.


    EDIT: 20:00 UTC graph update: round2-pdf-1490991315.pdf

    BobHiggins ,

    This is in reference to last weeks issue with the stainless leaking. Have you ever heard of a product called Muggyweld ? It looks like something handy to keep around. Viewing several of the videos (@4:00 mark) it looks like a pretty good fit for a replicator to keep in the toolbox. It may not suitable be for the reactor but surely would work elsewhere.

    Also take a look at another product that may be applicable coolblue heat paste. Good luck.

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