by E.N. Tsyganov
(UA9 collaboration) University of Texas Southwestern
Medical Center at Dallas, Texas, USA
Abstract
Recent accelerator experiments on fusion of various elements have clearly demonstrated that the effective cross-sections of these reactions depend on what material the target particle is placed in. In these experiments, there was a significant increase in the probability of interaction when target nuclei are imbedded in a conducting crystal or are a part of it. These experiments open a new perspective on the problem of so-called cold nuclear fusion.
Introduction
Experiments of Fleischmann and Pons made about 20 years ago [1], raised the question about the possibility of nuclear DD fusion at room temperature. Conflicting results of numerous experiments that followed, dampened the initial euphoria, and the scientific community quickly came to common belief, that the results of [1] are erroneous. One of the convincing arguments of skeptics was the lack in these experiments of evidence of nuclear decay products. It was assumed that “if there are no neutrons, therefore is no fusion.” However, quite a large international group of physicists, currently a total of about 100-150 people, continues to work in this direction. To date, these enthusiasts have accumulated considerable experience in the field. The leading group of physicists working in this direction, in our opinion, is the group led by Dr. M. McKubre [2]. Interesting results were also obtained in the group of Dr. Y. Arata [3]. Despite some setbacks with the repeatability of results, these researchers still believe in the existence of the effect of cold fusion, even though they do not fully understand its nature. Some time ago we proposed a possible mechanism to explain the results of cold fusion of deuterium [4]. This work considered a possible mechanism of acceleration of deuterium contaminant atoms in the crystals through the interaction of atoms with long-wavelength lattice vibrations in deformed parts of the crystal. Estimates have shown that even if a very small portion of the impurity atoms (~105) get involved in this process and acquires a few keV energy, this will be sufficient to describe the energy released in experiments [2]. This work also hypothesized that the lifetime of the intermediate nucleus increases with decreasing energy of its excitation, so that so-called “radiation-less cooling” of the excited nucleus becomes possible. In [5], we set out a more detailed examination of the process. Quite recently, a sharp increase of the probability of fusion of various elements was found in accelerator experiments for the cases when the target particles are either imbedded in a metal crystal or are a part of the conducting crystal. These experiments compel us to look afresh on the problem of cold fusion.
Recent experiments on fusion of elements on accelerators
For atom-atom collisions the expression of the probability of penetration through a Coulomb barrier for bare nuclei should be modified, because atomic electrons screen the repulsion effect of nuclear charge. Such a modification for the isolated atom collisions has been performed in H.J. Assenbaum and others [6] using static Born-Oppenheimer approximation. The experimental results that shed further light on this problem were obtained in relatively recent works C. Rolfs [7] and K. Czerski [8]. Review of earlier studies on this subject is contained in the work of L. Bogdanova [9]. In these studies a somewhat unusual phenomenon was observed: the sub-barrier fusion cross sections of elements depend strongly on the physical state of the matter in which these processes are taking place. Figure 1 (left) shows the experimental data [8], demonstrating the dependence of the astrophysical factor S(E) for the fusion of elements of sub-threshold nuclear reaction on the aggregate state of the matter that contains the target nucleus 7Li. The same figure (right) presents similar data [7] for the DD reaction, when the target nucleus was embedded in a zirconium crystal. It must be noted that the physical nature of the phenomenon of increasing cross synthesis of elements in the case where this process occurs in the conductor crystal lattice is still not completely clear.
Figure 1. Up – experimental data [8], showing the energy dependence of the S-factor for sub-threshold nuclear reaction on the aggregate state of matter that contains the nucleus 7Li. Down – the similar data [7] for the reaction of DD, when the target nucleus is placed in a crystal of zirconium. The data are well described by the introduction of the screening potential of about 300 eV.
The phenomenon is apparently due to the strong anisotropy of the electrical fields of the crystal lattice in the presence of free conduction electrons. Data for zirconium crystals for the DD reactions can be well described by the introduction of the screening potential of about 300 eV. It is natural to assume that the corresponding distance between of two atoms of deuterium in these circumstances is less than the molecular size of deuterium. In the case of the screening potential of 300 eV, the distance of convergence of deuterium atoms is ~510ˆ12 m, which is about an order of magnitude smaller than the size of a molecule of deuterium, where the screening potential is 27 eV. As it turned out, the reaction rate for DD fusion in these conditions is quite sufficient to describe the experimental results of McKubre and others [2]. Below we present the calculation of the rate process similar to the mu-catalysis where, instead of the exchange interaction by the muon, the factor of bringing together two deuterons is the effect of conduction electrons and the lattice of the crystal.
Calculation of the DD fusion rate for “Metal-Crystal” catalysis
The expression for the cross section of synthesis in the collision of two nuclei can be written as
where for the DD fusion
Here the energy E is shown in keV in the center of mass. S(E) astrophysical factor (at low energies it can be considered constant), the factor 1/E reflects de Broglie dependence of cross section on energy. The main energy dependence of the fusion is contained in an expression
that determines the probability of penetration of the deuteron through the Coulomb barrier. From the above expressions, it is evident that in the case of DD collisions and in the case of DDμcatalysis, the physics of the processes is the same. We use this fact to determine the probability of DD fusion in the case of the “metal-crystalline” DD-catalysis. In the case of DDμ- catalysis the size of the muon deuterium molecules (ion+) is ~5×10ˆ13m. Deuterium nuclei approach such a distance at a kinetic energy ~3 keV. Using the expression (1), we found that the ratio of σ(3.0 keV)/σ(0.3 keV) = 1.05×10ˆ16. It should be noted that for the free deuterium molecule this ratio [ σ(3.0keV)/σ(0.03keV)] is about 10ˆ73. Experimental estimations of the fusion rate for the (DDμ)+ case presented in the paper by Hale [10]:
Thus, we obtain for the “metal-crystalline” catalysis DD fusion rate (for zirconium case):
Is this enough to explain the experiments on cold fusion? We suppose that a screening potential for palladium is about the same as for zirconium. 1 cmˆ3 (12.6 g) of palladium contains 6.0210ˆ23(12.6/106.4) = 0.710ˆ23 atoms. Fraction of crystalline cells with dual (or more) the number of deuterium atoms at a ratio of D: Pd ~1:1 is the case in the experiments [2] ~0.25 (e.g., for Poisson distribution). Crystal cell containing deuterium atoms 0 or 1, in the sense of a fusion reaction, we consider as “passive”. Thus, the number of “active” deuterium cells in 1 cmˆ3 of palladium is equal to 1.810ˆ22. In this case, in a 1 cmˆ3 of palladium the reaction rate will be
this corresponds to the energy release of about 3 kW. This is quite sufficient to explain the results of McKubre group [2]. Most promising version for practical applications would be Platinum (Pt) crystals, where the screening potential for d(d,p)t fusion at room temperature is about 675 eV [11]. In this case, DD fusion rate would be:
The problem of “nonradiative” release of nuclear fusion energy
As we have already noted, the virtual absence of conventional nuclear decay products of the compound nucleus was widely regarded as one of the paradoxes of DD fusion with the formation of 4He in the experiments [2]. We proposed the explanation of this paradox in [4]. We believe that after penetration through the Coulomb barrier at low energies and the materialization of the two deuterons in a potential well, these deuterons retain their identity for some time. This time defines the frequency of further nuclear reactions. Figure 2 schematically illustrates the mechanism of this process. After penetration into the compound nucleus at a very low energy, the deuterons happen to be in a quasi-stabile state seating in the opposite potential wells. In principle, this system is a dual “electromagnetic-nuclear” oscillator. In this oscillator the total kinetic energy of the deuteron turns into potential energy of the oscillator, and vice versa. In the case of very low-energy, the amplitude of oscillations is small, and the reactions with nucleon exchange are suppressed.
Fig. 2. Schematic illustration of the mechanism of the nuclear decay frequency dependence on the compound nucleus 4He* excitation energy for the merging deuterons is presented. The diagram illustrates the shape of the potential well of the compound nucleus. The edges of the potential well are defined by the strong interaction, the dependence at short distances Coulomb repulsion.
The lifetime of the excited 4He* nucleus can be considered in the formalism of the usual radioactive decay. In this case,
Here ν is the decay frequency, i.e., the reciprocal of the decay time τ. According to our hypothesis, the decay rate is a function of excitation energy of the compound nucleus E. Approximating with the first two terms of the polynomial expansion, we have:
Here ν° is the decay frequency at asymptotically low excitation energy. According to quantum-mechanical considerations, the wave functions of deuterons do not completely disappear with decreasing energy, as illustrated by the introduction of the term ν°. The second term of the expansion describes the linear dependence of the frequency decay on the excitation energy. The characteristic nuclear frequency is usually about 10ˆ22 sˆ-1. In fusion reaction D+D4He there is a broad resonance at an energy around 8 MeV. Simple estimates by the width of the resonance and the uncertainty relation gives a lifetime of the intermediate state of about 0.810ˆ22 s. The “nuclear” reaction rate falls approximately linearly with decreasing energy. Apparently, a group of McKubre [2] operates in an effective energy range below 2 keV in the c.m.s. Thus, in these experiments, the excitation energy is at least 4×10ˆ3 times less than in the resonance region. We assume that the rate of nuclear decay is that many times smaller. The corresponding lifetime is less than 0.3×10ˆ18 s. This fall in the nuclear reaction rate has little effect on the ratio of output decay channels of the compound nucleus, but down to a certain limit. This limit is about 6 keV. A compound nucleus at this energy is no longer an isolated system, since virtual photons from the 4He* can reach to the nearest electron and carry the excitation energy of the compound nucleus. The total angular momentum carried by the virtual photons can be zero, so this process is not prohibited. For the distance to the nearest electron, we chose the radius of the electrons in the helium atom (3.1×10ˆ11 m). From the uncertainty relations, duration of this process is about 10ˆ-19 seconds. In the case of “metal-crystalline” catalysis the distance to the nearest electrons can be significantly less and the process of dissipation of energy will go faster. It is assumed that after an exchange of multiple virtual photons with the electrons of the environment the relatively small excitation energy of compound nucleus 4He* vanishes, and the frequency of the compound nucleus decaying with the emission of nucleons will be determined only by the term ν°. For convenience, we assume that this value is no more than 10ˆ12-10ˆ14 per second. In this case, the serial exchange of virtual photons with the electrons of the environment in a time of about 10ˆ-16 will lead to the loss of ~4 MeV from the compound nucleus (after which decays with emission of nucleons are energetically forbidden), and then additional exchange will lead to the loss of all of the free energy of the compound nucleus (24 MeV) and finally the nucleus will be in the 4He ground state. The energy dissipation mechanism of the compound nucleus 4He* with virtual photons, discussed above, naturally raises the question of the electromagnetic-nuclear structure of the excited compound nucleus.
Fig. 3. Possible energy diagram of the excited 4He* nucleus is presented.
Figure 3 represents a possible energy structure of the excited 4He* nucleus and changes of its spatial configuration in the process of releasing of excitation energy. Investigation of this process might be useful to study the quark-gluon dynamics and the structure of the nucleus.
Discussion
Perhaps, in this long-standing history of cold fusion, finally the mystery of this curious and enigmatic phenomenon is gradually being opened. Besides possible benefits that the practical application of this discovery will bring, the scientific community should take into account the sociological lessons that we have gained during such a long ordeal of rejection of this brilliant, though largely accidental, scientific discovery. We would like to express the special appreciation to the scientists that actively resisted the negative verdict imposed about twenty years ago on this topic by the vast majority of nuclear physicists.
Acknowledgements
The author thanks Prof. S.B. Dabagov, Dr. M. McKubre, Dr. F. Tanzela, Dr. V.A. Kuzmin, Prof. L.N. Bogdanova and Prof. T.V. Tetereva for help and valuable discussions. The author is grateful to Prof. V.G. Kadyshevsky, Prof. V.A. Rubakov, Prof. S.S. Gershtein, Prof. V.V. Belyaev, Prof. N.E. Tyurin, Prof. V.L. Aksenov, Prof. V.M. Samsonov, Prof. I.M. Gramenitsky, Prof. A.G. Olshevsky, Prof. V.G. Baryshevsky for their help and useful advice. I am grateful to Dr. VM. Golovatyuk, Prof. M.D. Bavizhev, Dr. N.I. Zimin, Prof. A.M. Taratin for their continued support. I am also grateful to Prof. A. Tollestrup, Prof. U. Amaldi, Prof. W. Scandale, Prof. A. Seiden, Prof. R. Carrigan, Prof. A. Korol, Prof. J. Hauptmann, Prof. V. Guidi, Prof. F. Sauli, Prof. G. Mitselmakher, Prof. A. Takahashi, and Prof. X. Artru for stimulating feedback. Continued support in this process was provided with my colleagues and the leadership of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, and I am especially grateful to Prof. R. Parkey, Prof. N. Rofsky, Prof. J. Anderson and Prof. G. Arbique. I express special thanks to my wife, N.A. Tsyganova for her stimulating ideas and uncompromising support.
References
1. M. Fleischmann, S. Pons, M. W. Anderson, L. J. Li, M. Hawkins, J. Electro anal. Chem. 287, 293 (1990).
2. M. C. H. McKubre, F. Tanzella, P. Tripodi, and P. Haglestein, In Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Cold Fusion. 2000, Lerici (La Spezia), Ed. F. Scaramuzzi, (Italian Physical Society, Bologna, Italy, 2001), p 3; M. C. H. McKubre, In Condensed Matter Nuclear Science: Proceedings Of The 10th International Conference On Cold Fusion; Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA 21-29 August, 2003, Ed by P. L. Hagelstein and S. R. Chubb, (World Sci., Singapore, 2006). M. C. H. McKubre, “Review of experimental measurements involving dd reactions”, Presented at the Short Course on LENR for ICCF-10, August 25, 2003.
3. Y. Arata, Y. Zhang, “The special report on research project for creation of new energy”, J. High Temp. Soc. (1) (2008).
4. E. Tsyganov, in Physics of Atomic Nuclei, 2010, Vol. 73, No. 12, pp. 1981–1989. Original Russian text published in Yadernaya Fizika, 2010, Vol. 73, No. 12, pp. 2036–2044.
5. E.N. Tsyganov, “The mechanism of DD fusion in crystals”, submitted to IL NUOVO CIMENTO 34 (4-5) (2011), in Proceedings of the International Conference Channeling 2010 in Ferrara, Italy, October 3-8 2010.
6. H.J. Assenbaum, K. Langanke and C. Rolfs, Z. Phys. A – Atomic Nuclei 327, p. 461-468 (1987).
7. C. Rolfs, “Enhanced Electron Screening in Metals: A Plasma of the Poor Man”, Nuclear Physics News, Vol. 16, No. 2, 2006.
8. A. Huke, K. Czerski, P. Heide, G. Ruprecht, N. Targosz, and W. Zebrowski, “Enhancement of deuteron-fusion reactions in metals and experimental implications”, PHYSICAL REVIEW C 78, 015803 (2008).
9. L.N. Bogdanova, Proceedings of International Conference on Muon Catalyzed Fusion and Related Topics, Dubna, June 18–21, 2007, published by JINR, E4, 15-2008-70, p. 285-293
10. G.M. Hale, “Nuclear physics of the muon catalyzed d+d reactions”, Muon Catalyzed Fusion 5/6 (1990/91) p. 227-232.
11. F. Raiola (for the LUNA Collaboration), B. Burchard, Z. Fulop, et al., J. Phys. G: Nucl. Part. Phys.31, 1141 (2005); Eur. Phys. J. A 27, s01, 79 (2006).
by E.N. Tsyganov
(UA9 collaboration) University of Texas Southwestern
Medical Center at Dallas, Texas, USA
Dear Giovanni Guerrini:
The modulation will be totally automatic.
Warm Regards,
A.R.
The modulation of output power is obteined modulating the reaction? In this case,the electric input is in proporzional dimension with the output obtained? And then,after it has started with resistor,could be possible to keep it stable using the thermal power?
Thank you for the answers and your patience.
Giovanni Guerrini
Dear Joseph Fine:
Thank you for the suggestion, precious as usually.
Warm Regards,
A.R.
Personally, I think the idea of a space heater capable of replacing an electric space heater would be the fastest route to moving the technology into the market. After that would be a similar unit that could be used to retrofit a gas fired water heater by being slipped down the vent pipe and then plugging the vent pipe with a bit of insulation. This would allow a very cheap retrofitting of existing hardware that any householder cold perform. It would be similar in design to the space heater.
Andrea,
Just because an E-Cat (or E-Cats) can reduce your heating costs is no reason not to insulate your property efficiently. Not if costs for insulation are also reduced.
According to NYTEKNIK (New Technology – Sweden), a new company with the catchy name – Swedish Aerogels – is producing Aerogels (or Airgels) commercially. The following link is a Google Translation of the article (Swedish to English).
http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=sv&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyteknik.se%2Fnyheter%2Fbygg%2Fbyggartiklar%2Farticle3393883.ece&act=url
NY TEKNIK comments are also interesting to read.
If you want to read the Swedish version, it is here:
http://www.nyteknik.se/nyheter/bygg/byggartiklar/article3393883.ece
Please don’t waste heat.
Joseph Fine
Dear Levi Strauss:
1- same water of standard heaters and boilers
2- no: every 6 months we change the E-Catand recycle
3- No modification to the existing loop will be made
4- No difference from other systems
5- Can shut off and restart when you want, no substitution is necessary
Warm Regards,
A.R.
Dear Andrea Rossi
Questions. What purity of water is required for Ecat operation, since even steam turbines run on high purity water show signs of deposits? Will wear from steam erosion create a problem and shorten reactor life? Will we need a closed loop system and if so, when not all the out put is required, will a separate condensation unit be required? Any suggestions for designing a new home (a mountain cabin) to include an Ecat? If using the Ecat for a heat source, can the Ecat be turned off for summer and then restarted in the fall, or once shut down, will a new cartridge have to be installed?
Appreciated.
Levi
Dear Giovanni Guerrini:
No, the reaction starts at much higher temp.
Warm Regards,
A.R.
Dear Rampado Dr Roberto:
The COP 6 will be guaranteed by us. The Customers will test it easily. The certification has to be made for safety.
Warm Regards,
A.R.
I read that the E-Cat Home (10kW power) is under evaluation by UL for safety certification.
Do you intend to ask someone to certify also the COP = 1/6?
Thanks for your reply !
Ho letto che l’E-Cat Home (10 kW di potenza) è in fase di valutazione da parte di UL per la certificazione di sicurezza.
Avete intenzione di chiedere a qualcuno di certificare anche il COP = 1/6?
Grazie e buon lavoro !
Rampado Dr Roberto
If I am not wrong,the reaction start at 60 °C.Could be possible to use a part of heat produced by the reactor to keep the reaction stable,instead of electric power?
Thank you Giovanni G
Dear Tom Swan:
1- Your pre-order has been accepted
2- The certification will regard the safety of the device
Warm Regards,
A.R.
Dr. Rossi,
As we understand it, the 10 kW home E-Cat is under certification by UL. Can you tell us what certifications the home unit will carry? Please register our pre-order for 1 home unit.
Thank you for all the information and patience.
Tom and Rachel Swan
Dear Kevin Dowty:
Your pre-order has been accepted,
Warm Regards,
A.R.
Living in Int’l Falls MN in a 2500 Square foot house, I would love to preorder 2 of these units. Good luck on the production end.
Dear Gillana Giancarlo:
Yes, we Cat!
Warm Regards,
A.R.
No, I thank you for the greatest invention since inventing the fire, the car or the lightbulb!!
Thanks and all the best!
There are lot of people on the web asking: now is that possible that the next greatest invention in the world should be selled in internet!
You, perhaps have already answerred to that question.
Best Regards.
Dear Piero41:
You bet: E-Cat will arrive in the real market (out of the Chatters Galaxy) before any competitor, and at a price that will discourage any competitor.
Warm Regards,
A.R.
I also saw the Micro Steam Turbines presentation of Vlad, in home use as warm-cold air conditioning with energy production, it would be a truly complete solution in future. I also read that e-cat is not suitable for occasional or not continue use so I think that the optimization could be achieved by adding modern long life and large capacity batteries to distribute over the time the ecat ignition for 8- 12 hours to charge batteries with Micro Steam Turbines then one uses batteries for occasional uses until the next charging also with unit stopped. With this system ,if possible, offices etc might be conditioned for short periods but also could powered electric motors for cars, trucks, motor boats etc. Here’s the business …I think, Doctor, before Toyota and Arata e-cat will come out !! …
Thank you and best of luck. Piero M.
Dear Andreas:
Is a theoretical issue, no real product is for sale, yet.
I wish it was true!
Thank you, anyway, for your good will to help with your information.
Warm Regards,
A.R.
It was about the “”highly efficient 40%-80%(?????) 5KW Steam Micro Turbine””
If it had really 80% efficiency, with 3 (10kW) e-cats you could heat your house and have A LOT of electrical energy left. There would be no need of gas, coil or oil burning in power plants as so much electrical energy was released by each houshold! Of course you could also heat with the produced current if the winter gets very cold.
Mr.Rossi, your answer to Rob implies that a 1Mw plant would take 3 years to burn 1g of nickel. Amazing. I presume there is quite a bit of recyclable nickel in a spent cartridge of your domestic units. Regards
Good morning Ing. Rossi,
in a recent answer You say that with 1 g of matter (Nickel) You get 23 million of kWh of energy.
23 million of kWh are practically the energy obtainable according to the known relationship of Einstein when the whole mass of 1 gram of Nickel is transformed into energy, that is:
E = m * (c)^2 = 0.001 * (299792 *10^3)^2 = 89,875 *10^12 Joules
Since 1 kWh is 3.6 *10^6 Joules
we get the energy expressed in kWh as (89,875 *10^12) / 3.6 *10^6 = 24,965 *10^6 kWh.
So a gram of Nickel is transformed into energy during the reaction with a slight loss of nuclear fuel not transformed corresponding to the difference (24.965 – 23) *10^6 = 1.965 *10^6 kWh (in percentage is the 7.87% of one gram of nickel)
Recalling that in past You told that a part of the Nickel, about 10% if I remember well, would turn into Copper stable, this loss could be due to the transmutation.
Once transmuted into Cu stable, Copper can be recycled, but not can go back to Nickel so the Nickel consumption is always slightly higher than the energy actually produced.
Is this analysis correct?
Thank You.
Franco
Dear P.G.Sharrow:
Thank you very much, I agree with you, foundamentally. About the use in space…there is a wide space of time before going there…
Warm Regards,
A.R.
Tom M and Andrea Rossi
The Ecat is as important a break through as the production of the first transistors! This technology is barely scratching the surface of a new way of science. You guys had better expand your view point. I fully expect to see Electrical space drives that are powered by devices derived from the science demonstrated here. I am 65 year old and I expect to see these things and be a part of it. pg
Dear Rob:
1- We use Nickel, not Zinc.
2- The actual consume of matter is 1 g/ 23 x 10^6 kWh, all the rest is recycled
Warm Regards,
A.R.
Dear Tom M.:
I doubt this tech will be useful for something in the aero-space sector within 50 years, honestly.
Your pre order has been accepted.
Warm Regards,
A.R.
Mr. Rossi,
While your technology has an unlimited number of uses, and will no doubt change our world for the best, I am most looking forward to its application in space exploration. I hope your product will be on the market when I attend aerospace engineering graduate school in the next few years so I can be a part of that development. Please mark me down for two e-cats.
Thank you and BEST of luck
Tom M.
A.R., Jim,
While you work 16 hours or more per day, Aleksey Stakhanov probably DID NOT MINE 227 tons of Coal in a single shift. He should have been mining Nickel. Imagine how much energy could have been produced with that much Nickel.
Also, you are doing your urgent work with most of the news media afraid to mention you.
See Stakhanov:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexey_Stakhanov
J. Fine
Hi,
A hypothetical question – if you gave one 10kW unit to everyone on the planet, and had them all running continuously for 100 years, how much zinc would be changed into copper?
Estimates regarding world zinc resources:
Annual zinc production = 12.5 million tonnes or 1.25×10(10)Kg (wiki)
Total zinc mined up to 2002 = 234 million tonnes or 2.34×10(11)Kg (wiki)
Total zinc resources = 1.9 billion tonnes or 1.9×10(12)Kg (wiki)
Total zinc in the earths continental crust = 2.39×10(22)Kg (estimate from available data)
Dear Joseph Fine:
Thank you for your contribution. It is worth to be studied.
Warm Regards,
A.R.
Dear Kevin Reilly:
Please forward your detailed c.v. and skill to
info@leonardocorp1996.com
Warm Regards,
A.R.
A.R.
After you produce heat, you need to transfer it.
Many recipes need some “Rice”.
http://newenergyandfuel.com/http:/newenergyandfuel/com/2012/02/03/a-more-efficient-way-to-move-heat/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NewEnergyAndFuel+%28New+Energy+and+Fuel%29
A More Efficient Way to Move Heat
February 3, 2012
Rice University’s materials scientist Pulickel Ajayan with graduate student Jaime Taha-Tijerina and postdoctoral researcher Tharangattu Narayanan, with help from Matteo Pasquali, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and of chemistry, have created a nano-infused oil that could greatly enhance the ability of devices as large as electrical transformers and as small as microelectronic components to shed away excess heat.
The team’s research appears in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano. Lab results show the new oil additive could raise the efficiency of such transfer mediums by as much as 80 percent using an environmentally friendly base material.
The Rice Team’s h-BN Comparative Results Graph. See the paper linked above for more details. Click image for the largest view.
While we may be interested in moving heat efficiently, the Rice team focused on electrical transformers. Electrical transformers step voltage up or down and in doing so the wire resistance within causes heat to build up. Currently most transformers are filled with fluids that cool and insulate the core and windings inside, as well as components that must remain separated from each other to keep voltage from leaking or shorting out.
The team has discovered that a very tiny amount of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) particles, which are two-dimensional cousins to carbon-based graphene, suspended in standard transformer mineral oils are highly efficient at removing heat from a system.
Narayanan said, “We don’t need a large amount of h-BN. We found that 0.1 weight percentage of h-BN in transformer oil enhances it by nearly 80 percent.” This news will light up a lot of heat management folks worldwide.
Taha-Tijerina adds to the depth of the discovery’s value with, “And at 0.01 weight percentage, the enhancement was around 9 percent. Even with a very low amount of material, we can enhance the fluids without compromising the electrical insulating properties.”
The background focuses on Taha-Tijerina, who was employed by an electrical transformer manufacturer in Mexico before coming to Rice, explains others working on similar compounds are experimenting with particles of aluminum, copper oxide and titanium oxide, but none of the compounds has the combination of qualities exhibited by h-BN.
Narayanan explains the technical details of h-BN particles that are about 600 nanometers wide and up to five atomic layers thick, disperse well in oil and, unlike highly electrically conductive graphene, are highly resistant to electricity. With help from Pasquali the team determined that the important quality of the oil’s viscosity is minimally affected by the presence of the new h-BN nanoparticle fillers.
Professor Ajayan who is Rice’s Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and of Chemistry said, “Our research shows that with new materials and innovative approaches, we can add enormous value to applications that exist today in industry. Thermal management is a big issue in industry, but the right choice of materials is important; for transformer cooling, one needs dispersants in oils that take heat away, yet remain electrically insulating. Moreover, the two-dimensional nature of the fillers keeps them stable in oils without settling down for long periods of time.”
The Rice press release winds up adding Guanhui Gao, a visiting scholar in Ajayan’s lab; senior Matthew Rohde; and graduate student Dmitri Tsentalovich as team members.
Obviously the team has worked on the project in view of the perspectives of the team members and the interests of the supportive funding. But the huge improvement of heat transfer is going to affect a much wider range of interests than electricity alone.
Moving heat, or conducting it, is an engineering challenge of getting as much as possible from the source to the work. The less that’s lost the better. The Rice University team’s discovery of a particle adding so much efficiency will stimulate a lot more research into other fluids and solids. The result should be less fuel to drive the same amount of work.
The innovation that earns the applause is connecting the aspects of graphene to the h-BN molecule and particles finding a new result. It’s a clue for more discoveries born of close observation and creative thought.
———————–
Thermodynamic Regards,
J. Fine
Dear Mr. Rossi,
Will you be having a staffing agency hiring soon for the new factory in the USA and if so where could I submit a resume?
Thank you,
Kevin Reilly
Dear Andreas:
Can you explain? I do not understand what are you talking about.
Warm Regards,
A.R.
Dear Scott Yannitell:
I cannot give information regarding the operation of the metals.
Warm Regards,
A.R.
Dear The Plumber:
Very good, your good sense and experience will be certainly useful. Why don’t you contact me, with your real name, emailing to
info@leonardocorp1996.com
Warm Regards,
A.R.
Dear Jim:
Working 16 hours per day, but with some exception, for example yesterday I worked 26 hours straight ( of which 11 on an aeroplane). Stakanov was an amateur.
Warm Regards,
A.R.
Just wondering how you have time to answer all of these questions, take orders yourself, and set up a manufacturing facily to produce 1 million e-cats a year.
The people “in the trenches” getting dirty doing the hands on are the most reliable sorce of ideas. Those people are the best qualified to evaluate the ideas generated by the people sitting at desks. I have note pads full of improvements to parts and equipment I use every day. I cannot help with the physics you have developed but I am a plumber and mechanical contractor since 1992. I would really love to help you with the practical aplication of the e-cat for the north amarican market.
Instead of nickel as a “fuel” could you use a heavier element that would produce endothermic reactions? This would have a huge advantage for space based electric generators.
80% efficiency?? That would be truely amazing. Can that be true??
Given a 10 kW e-cat, you had 8kW electricity!!
Dear Alonzo Mancini,
Please
info@leonardocorp1996.com
for licensing issues,
Warm Regards,
A.R.
Dear Bill Shaw:
Your additional pre-order has been accepted,
Warm Regards,
A.R.
I have preordered one ECat, but find that here in Texas four units would be needed to satisfy my requirements for two locations. Please consider this my order for four units. I worry that the demand will be so high that shipments will be backordered, no matter how large the first production run. Good luck on working out all preproduction problems.
Dear Vlad:
As always, I will be glad to receive real offers for existing products, ready to be used. If I receive a real proposal, I will buy immediately the apparatus and test it. For me counts only what works.
Warm Regards,
A.R.
How about it:
http://www.enginer.us/products/steam_micro_turbine.php
Enginer Inc. has been developing a highly efficient 40%-80%(?????) 5KW Steam Micro Turbine that is small (17x10x10 inches) and easy to be installed into existing electric vehicles.. The estimate mass production cost is under $500.
Dear Hughd:
So far we are producing just thermal energy, so we have only thermal loads. In this configuration we do not need back up, but I think it will be the same also for the electric generators. Of course a back up in case of black out can be useful for the drive.
Warm Regards,
A.R.
Dear Andrea Rossi,
Will the electricity supplying E-CAT require battery storage to provide quick load change response for the electrical load side?
Best regards,
Hughd