USEFUL PAPERS THREAD

  • Hadn't seen this before. A long paper on NASA's plasma reactor work.

    This is the most thorough and well-documented experiment report I've seen, truly a masterpiece of the art. It appears that after careful analysis, no excess heat was seen from Ni or deuterated Ti powders.

  • This is the most thorough and well-documented experiment report I've seen, truly a masterpiece of the art. It appears that after careful analysis, no excess heat was seen from Ni or deuterated Ti powders.

    Interestingly, Benyo says in her ICCF History of NASA/LENR presentation that they did see some anomalous results, though they don’t seem to be reported here.


    ETA: There doesn't seem to be a second report on results at the NTRS. I suppose the possibilities are that one was never written, or, that one was written and it's currently in review somewhere.

    Edited once, last by orsova ().

  • Helium Detection in Technical Materials

    Andrew K. Gillespie (Texas Tech University), Cuikun Lin (Texas Tech University), Django Jones (Texas Tech University), R. V. Duncan (Texas Tech University)

    Quote
    Materials used to study nuclear fusion can retain atmospheric helium unless pretreated before an experiment. Understanding helium outgassing is important for accurate diagnostics in experiments surrounding nuclear fusion. The presence of helium is often cited as the primary evidence that a nuclear reaction has occurred, so it is imperative that known sources of helium are mitigated prior to proceeding with novel nuclear experiments. It is also necessary to ensure hermiticity when transferring gas aliquots from an experiment to a mass spectrometer. In this article, we present studies of detecting helium leak rates in systems used in novel nuclear experiments. We also present studies of helium retention in materials subjected to various heating profiles and atmospheric concentrations. Without pretreatment, stainless-steel 316 retains between 15 240 pmol of 4He or an areal outgassing amount of 0.07 1.20 pmol/cm2. It also may reabsorb 4He from the atmosphere in time. These studies also demonstrate that it is necessary to pretreat most materials prior to performing experiments where the presence of 4He is being used as an indicator for novel nuclear reactions.
  • Pinched Tube Method for Gas Sample Transfers

    Muhammad Umer Farooq,1 R. Peyton Thorn Jr., Andrew K. Gillespie, Cuikun Lin, and Robert V. Duncan

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA

    (*Electronic mail: [email protected], [email protected])

    (Dated: 16 February 2024)

    When transferring small volumes of gas samples between laboratories, cold welded, pinched copper tubes offer an

    inexpensive and convenient solution. In this paper, we outline the preparation, loading, transfer, and analysis methods

    used in a multi-campus, collaborative study under the United States Department of Energy. This gas transfer method has

    been utilized on samples from novel nuclear reactions, where the presence of low-mass gas isotopes is often used as an

    indicator of a successful reaction. Low-mass isotopic gas analysis requires careful preparation and handling to mitigate

    contamination, primarily resulting from air intrusion. The pinched tubes were found to be hermetic until punctured

    using a saddle valve prior to gas analysis with an analytical instrument. The integrity of this transfer method was

    proven using a Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometer. We also discuss hermiticity

    measurements during the tube puncturing process.

  • Photoneutron Yield for an Electron Beam on Tantalum and Erbium Deuteride

    Andrew K. Gillespie a*, Cuikun Lin a, and R. V. Duncan a

    AFFILIATIONS

    aDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Texas Tech University, Lubbock Texas 79409, USA

    *Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: [email protected]

    ABSTRACT

    An electron beam may be used to generate bremsstrahlung photons that go on to create photoneutrons within metals. This serves as a low-energy neutron source for irradiation experiments [1-3]. In this article, we present simulation results for optimizing photoneutron yield for a 10-MeV electron beam on tantalum foil and erbium deuteride (ErD3). The thickness of the metal layers was varied. A tantalum foil thickness of 1.5 mm resulted in the most photons reaching the second metal layer. When a second metal layer of ErD3 was included, the photoneutron yield increased with the thickness of the secondary layer. When the electron beam was directly incident upon a layer of ErD3, the photoneutron yield did not differ significantly from the yield when a layer of tantalum was included. The directional photoneutron yield reached a maximum level when the thickness of the ErD3 layer was around 12 cm. About 1 neutron was generated per 104 source electrons. When using a 2-mA beam current, it is possible to generate up to 1012 neutrons per second, making this combination a relatively-inexpensive neutron generator

  • Erik Ziehm's Phd thesis.

    Quote
    This work addresses the possibility of low energy nuclear reactions within a DC glow deuterium discharge with palladium electrodes. The hypothesis is that the dynamics typically used in plasma for nuclear reactions must be modified while the reactants are within a dynamic solid-state metallic system. In this work, a DC glow deuterium plasma simultaneously implants deuterons into the cathode and causes crystalline deformations, which act as trapping sites for the mobile interstitial deuterons. A Solid-State Nuclear Track Detector (SSNTD), called CR-39, was chosen as the technique to investigate the emission of energetic charged particles from the cathode. While other research has used this type of detector, this is the first application in a low voltage DC plasma discharge, i.e., a discharge with electrodes biased below 1 kV. A new analysis technique was developed, which allowed rapid scanning of large CR-39 surfaces. The new method amassed considerably more data than previous studies. After plasma treatments of Pd, tracks in the CR-39 detectors consistently corresponded to 138 ± 21 keV alpha particles emitted from the palladium electrodes. The track densities for deuterium discharges were often ∼100 times above controls with hydrogen and helium. Currently, there are no known means to accelerate ions to these energies within the apparatus. The production of energetic alpha particles with no source of helium or a means to accelerate the ions to such high energies indicate a nuclear reaction occurred. From alpha particle trajectory estimates, it was concluded the reactions originated at the Pd electrodes. This work provides future researchers the basis for establishing a theory for creating Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR).


    An experimental investigation of low energy nuclear reactions in a DC glow discharge | IDEALS

    Edited once, last by orsova ().

  • Exploring Helium Retention from Technical Materials: Development and Investigation - ScienceDirect


    On the other hand, low-energy nuclear reactions (LENR) encompass a range of phenomena that are purported to occur under specific conditions on certain metals such as Pd, Ni, Ti, among others, in the presence of hydrogen or its other stable isotope, deuterium. Experimental research in this field typically involves mild temperature and pressure conditions, resulting in the reported observation of a variety of nuclear products, effects, and nuclear-scale heat. Over the past few decades, the LENR community has actively pursued investigations under different conditions to identify signatures of nuclear reactions. In 2022, the US Department of Energy (DOE) announced a funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0002784) of up to $10 million [17]. This funding aims to establish clear protocols and practices for determining whether LENR could serve as a potentially transformative, carbon-free energy source. The initiative is part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) LENR Exploratory Topic, which seeks to overcome the research impasse in this field and drive advancements in LENR technology. Within the LENR community, researchers have been actively searching for the presence of helium-4 as a crucial signature and evidence of nuclear reactions. This is particularly important for correlating helium measurements with excess heat observations. However, several challenges arise in this pursuit. It’s known that ambient air naturally contains helium at a concentration of approximately 5.2 parts per million (ppm). Consequently, helium can easily diffuse or be absorbed into experimental apparatus, leading to contamination that may significantly impact the obtained results.


    In this study, various metals including palladium, stainless steel, and platinum, as well as polymers and ceramics such as Nylon and PTFE underwent testing to assess helium retention characteristics before heating, after heating, or during complete evaporation of the technical materials. Of particular focus were metals like stainless steel (SS) and palladium (Pd), aiming to precisely quantify trapped helium within wire lengths through heating beyond their respective evaporation thresholds.

  • 221. Brightsen, R. A., Application of the Nucleon Cluster Model to Experimental Results

    222. Brightsen, R. A., cluster theory

    223. Brightsen, R. A., Correspondence of the Periodic Table of Beta-Stable Nuclides with the Classical Periodic Table of Elements

    224. Brightsen, R. A., explanation of cold fusion reactions based on the nucleon cluster model (ncm)

    225. Brightsen, R. A., the nucleon cluster model and the periodic table of beta-stable nuclides


    This group are of some historical value in that they were the theoretical basis for Clustron Corp, which had Bass & Bockris on the board and Storms as a consultant.


    Clustron Corporate Profile


    "At this stage, the primary focus of Clustron is the securing an issued patent from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (PTO) for transmutation of radioactive nuclear fission waste, as well as transmutation of weapons-grade Pu-239 into usable U-235. PTO action on this 1992 patent application is expected by no later than mid-September of 1997."


    Pretty unambiguously LENR related.


    Most of these are not available anywhere.

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