New USPTO LENR Patent - Related to Cravens demos

Based on a quick once through of the patent the following can be noted:

The patent primarily covers a generic device used to stimulate heat production (probably excess heat via LENR or cold fusion, although these words are not used) via magnetic and/or electric field application in any possible way (i.e. all combinations seem to be covered). This includes ways to terminate heat generation as well as initiate and sustain it. 18 claims are made, but most are electrical and mechanical as opposed to chemical (or nuclear).

In claim 1, they specify the core of the device is made of "a body that is permeable to a fuel species and comprising a dopant that has an affinity for the fuel species". In claim 6 they claim "the dopant is selected from among the group consisting of nickel, platinum, and palladium." In claim 7 they claim "the fuel species is a hydrogen isotope." In the EXAMPLES section, they discuss "a zirconium-containing ceramic matrix that includes approximately 170 ug of a palladium dopant in the form of 2 nm to 4 nm particles". They run the system at 300 degrees C initially and they use a power compensation-type of calorimetry (i.e. they control the operating temperature to 300C and monitor power in, excess heat being indicated by less power being required to maintain 300C).

They present 4 figures as evidence, but the figures are so fuzzy I cannot tell what the axes read. The text allows one to note that they basically are plots of powers in (to experimental and control bodies), power differences, and temperatures (presumably). All are apparently using time as the X axis. They do numerically label the figures and describe what the labels mean somewhat in the text. In Fig. 1 they claim to apply an electric field and get a temp increase of 0.2-0.3C. In Fig. 2A they use a magnetic field and show effects in the traces, but offer no quantitative info on what they mean. Fig 2B is a longer time period plot, which supposedly shows persistence of the effect. Fig. 3 is a plot of results from when they apply (apparently different) magnetic fields at 3 points. They note in the text that 40 mW excess power was detected.

As is typical for a patent, this does not establish the validity of the claim that they are producing excess power. They simply state that as an assumed truth. I would need to see the evidence that they feel allows them to say this as 40 mW and 0.2-0.3 degree temperature shifts can easily be noise.

But they do seem to cover every possibility for building a device if they really do have a heat generator at its core.

Disclaimer: These are my observations based on a once-through read. Therefore it's entirely possible I misread and/or mis-stated something. Let me know if you spot an error.

This patent covers nicely the leap of hope needed here. The observed 40mW effect (which looks to me also probably impossible to distinguish from noise) is 0.2C on 300C. You can't tell from that what it is as a percentage of applied power. The system is a fuel disk 12mm X 2mm and 8E-7m^3. If the main heat loss is conductive to something near ambient we have a fraction 0.1% of the heating power.

They mention scaling this up to 1kW, from a few grams of reactive material. That is an enormous leap since this fuel disk showing a claimed 40mW is a few grams, but I guess the working hypothesis would be that this is a surface effect. In that case, though, it is the areal power density that should be quoted.