MIZUNO REPLICATION AND MATERIALS ONLY

I think it's a better way to avoid grabbing/stretching wires than alternating motion.

In the same way you should both obtain a hardening probably beneficial..

Quote from dartin

Is the Pd in the chuck a recommendation to take the mesh and rub it against a turning piece of Pd?

Edit: You deleted the post this is replying to but I'll leave it here just in case..

Data online here (might not be right one)..

https://shop.edwardsvacuum.com/products/d02173000/view.aspx

...describes it as FCC68 compatible connector. Pretty sure the 8 pin version of FCC68 is RJ45 as used on network cables.

You could cut up a network cable or keep it intact and use one of these on the other end to "breakout" the signals...

https://www.digikey.co.uk/prod…LCMh0_JRciRhoCfucQAvD_BwE

Simpler vacuum setup than what I posted before. Added a Pirani gauge (The Edwards APG-L goes down to 0.01 Pa). Is it valid? The roughing pump just pulls through the Turbomolecular when the Turbo is off.

You can get the Edwards gauge for about $70 on Ebay. There is a controller for a few hundred dollars, but you don't need it. The device manual tells you how to attach a DC power supply and a volt meter, to provide power and measure the pressure.

You need an RJ-45 cable for the gauge (easy to find) and optionally this very nice and cheap thing to connect to the 8 pins:

RJ45 Ethernet Breakout Board Screw Terminal with Indicator LED

https://ebay.to/2KizmzJ

The instruction manual tells you what to connect to the different wires.

https://shop.edwardsvacuum.com/products/d02173000/view.aspx

Edit: P.s. This does not even include the deuterium plumbing yet!!

From a source I've read hydrocarbons for example from the foreline trap / vacuum pump oil always exist in a (= the source's UHV chamber, at least) vacuum environment and may decompose/crack on hot catalytic surfaces in the chamber, forming an easily removed carbon/graphite covering that can eventually become visible over prolonged periods. I wonder if the prolonged deep vacuum cycles mandated for these and similar experiments (which I argue would make this more likely) actually have an effect of promoting this phenomenon.

Quote from dartin

Is the Pd in the chuck a recommendation to take the mesh and rub it against a turning piece of Pd?

No, quite the opposite, I think.

On the left is in Alan Smith's post on p23. I have posted previously regarding the Pd rod, and the markings on it not matching the rubbing process we are emulating, but after a couple of sherbets and a night or two sleep, with the brain still churning over, it's feels like it is starting to make sense now. Alan, you said this was a different rod. Well I don't reckon it is , I think it's the same one. The barrel like markings to the right of the nodule are not consistent with linear rubbing, but they certainly are explained by the rod in the drill chuck. Rapid rotation on the abrasive surface of the mesh leaving circumfrencial marks makes sense to me.

The next thing is the marks on the left end of the rod. These could be chuck scores. I think this is a previous system which did not work well. The mesh would need to be on a raised surface or the edge of a bench. I could be wrong but I think I read somewhere that TM works alone. So if you are holding a drill and trying to rub the mesh, you would need a very effective clamping system for the mesh, or, when the rotation of the rod was pushing towards the centre of the mesh, it would grip and get tangled. That would be consistent with the marks on the left being chuck scores if he hasn't tightened the chuck enough, or if it is tight, and the mesh has tangled like hell.

Another thing that was concerning me was the nodule area, and the fact that the right of the rod is not co-axial with the left. Well, if you look at the chuck, there is not apparently enough length of it to contain the whole rod as it appears in the image "with nodule", but if he has realised the need for a handle, it would be consistent with him having cut the deeply scored part of the rod off, and homogeneously welded it to a different Pd rod, or even spliced a bit in. You would only need an oxy torch. That would also explain the "hanging drop" appearance of the nodule., and the thicker shoulder aroung that area which is bigger than the diameter of the rod. In a manual rub, the right hand bit would not be used due to lack of contact pressure, but it would make a good handle part, as it would not impart pollution if it came into contact with the mesh.

I know this is a bit of an essay, but the evidence all seems to be there. Good detective work finding those pictures Alan. What do you think guys?

Wow! I have been away for only a few months and I see all this new discussion. Where to begin...

I definitely plan on attempting a Mizuno replication, and already have most of the equipment from previous experiments. Here is a brief overview.

1. Deuterium source: Parker Balston H2PEM100 hydrogen generator. Need help finding a source for D₂O.

2 Vacuum pump: Welch model 1400, good for roughing but will not reach vacuum level given by Mizuno. There are commercially available getters that can reduce water vapor and other contaminants, and these may allow roughing pump vacuum levels to work. I'll investigate.

3. Gas/vacuum manifold, reuse existing equipment but add a metering valve to permit setting the D₂O pressure to within +/-0.1 Torr. The system is plumbed with a 0-10 Torr baratron.

4. Flow calorimeter, Already have one that implements a closed-loop thermal mass flow feedback to give a linear power vs. temperature rise relation. Has demonstrated the ability to resolve <1watt.

5: Reaction vessel: will use 2.75" conflat hardware with Cu gaskets. All connections will either be welded (preferable) or high temperature silver solder brazed (OK for temperatures below ~400C). The plan is to use a cartridge heater that operates at atmospheric pressure but is coaxially situated inside the reaction cell.

6: Power source for heater. Lambda LLS9040, 0-80V, 20A. It should be possible to use a heater with a 120V power rating 2x what I need and then operate at 0-80V.

7: Data logging: Keithley model KUSP3108 and OEM furnished acquisition software.

8: Ni mesh: hopefully someone can point me in the right direction.

9: Pd: The stuff is really expensive, and most vendors will not sell to individuals. One possibility is to buy Pd bullion which is available in sub ounce denominations. Any suggestions here?

Well, that's a start.

Jeff

Quote from Alan Smith

This is another picture from the same source- and this definitely looks like a different rod. And it also shows the supplier Alfa Aesar, which is the most useful thing.

Yes, so he's tried a few then.

Mind you, one campany's 999 Pd should be the same as another's. It would really have to boil down to a very fine tuned mechanism if one of the p.p.t contaminants were to be the critical component. Also, although they might have different company names on them, there's very limited range of places on the planet that the Pd comes from, and also, you will find that there are very few original refiners.

Most of these companies will be buying from a refiner and selling it on at a profit. That's why it's easy to wind up paying well above spot for precious metals. It really does pay to shop around.

Quote from jeff

I definitely plan on attempting a Mizuno replication, and already have most of the equipment from previous experiments. Here is a brief overview.

Jeff

I was just wondering what your plan is re the r.g.a / mass spec / leak tracing situation. This seems to be the one where it is difficult to avoid big expense, and the only alternative is to run blind. There are rga s available on ebay, but even if they are ok technically, they are usually useless without OEM software, which is proprietary and expensive.

Quote from Curbina

whopping US$2300 per liter. So far I have no other potential source of pure enough D2O.

https://www.unitednuclear.com/…duct_info&products_id=135

100ml at $90, 1000ml @ $725

What about a Mizuno/Rothwell demonstration? It would make things easier...