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