Changes

Some aspects of the claimed functional principle also happen to be similar to descriptions in a patent registered by Yoshiaki Arata in Japan dated July 2005 (see below). A remote similarity to the [[CETI Patterson Power Cell]] and to the [[Zirconium fusion reactor of Bolotov]] can also be established.

Some aspects of the claimed functional principle also happen to be similar to descriptions in a patent registered by Yoshiaki Arata in Japan dated July 2005 (see below). A remote similarity to the [[CETI Patterson Power Cell]] and to the [[Zirconium fusion reactor of Bolotov]] can also be established.

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[[image:Rossi_Ecat.jpg|Outside view of reaction chamber, lead shielding and insulation removed. Below: Outer heating resistor (here: heating sleeve 300W), above: hydrogen intake, left and right: cooling water line. Image: Giuseppe Levi|350px|thumb]]

[[image:RF_control_box.jpg|The "control box" with 12 phase fired controllers of the type "VL676" from company GSEI in Genoa (Genova)<ref>http://www.gsei.it/attachs/P020_01.pdf</ref> (Image: S.B. Krivit)|300px|left|thumb]]

All data currently available regarding the "Focardi-Rossi Energy Catalyzer" come from inventors and their internet blog, from a patent application submitted by Rossi, from YouTube videos, and from statements of the few physicists who tried to replicate the principle. There has been no noteworthy reception on the part of the international physics community so far. An attempt of inventors to publish an article on their device in a renowned professional journal failed. Only individual physicists reacted with public blog entries and comments (e.g.: [http://aleklett.wordpress.com/2011/04/11/rossi-energy-catalyst-a-big-hoax-or-new-physics/][http://www.fysik.org/WebSite/fragelada/resurser/cold_fusion.pdf][http://pages.csam.montclair.edu/~kowalski/cf/388amplifier.html]). The most renowned person having commented the energy catalyzer so far is English Nobel Prize winner Brian Josephson<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAJnZZi41YA&feature=youtu.be</ref>. Josephson has been known for a supporter of so called "cold fusion" for years. As of January 2011, no proper scientific publication is known. Focardi and Rossi publish statements in their own "online periodical" titled "Journal of Nuclear Physics", basically an internet blog, and in Italian journal "Il&nbsp;Cimento". Upon inquiry, physicist Focardi advised the "Journal of Nuclear Physics" was founded by Rossi since publication in accredited journals failed. Focardi stated that [http://arxiv.org "arXiv.org"] was the journal which rejected them: ''A. Carnera, S. Focardi, A. Rossi, to be published on Arxiv.''.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By heating with electrical energy, protons from hydrogen gas are said to enter the nickel atoms at 180-400&nbsp;degrees Celsius and lead to a nuclear reaction if pressure was increased strongly at regular intervals. Altogether, hydrogen is said to be consumed and some helium is generated.<ref>S. Focardi, V. Gabbani, V. Montalbano, F. Piantelli, S. Veronesi. "''Large excess heat production in Ni-H systems''". Il Nuovo Cimento Vol. 111 A, N.11 pp. 1233, novembre 1998</ref> The nickel rod is said to show tiny surface craters after a reaction. According to the patent application, the electrical pre-heating will be turned off automatically by a thermostat when a certain operating temperature is achieved. Further electrical energy (20&nbsp;to 80&nbsp;W) was only necessary to supply control electronics. The modules controlling the heating resistors are 12 phase fired controllers of the type VL676 from company GSEI in Genoa (Genova)<ref>http://www.gsei.it/attachs/P020_01.pdf</ref> They can be, depending on type, regulated by 10 or 20 A in 20 half-steps (0..9) and have a consumption of 2 watts (in sum 24 W) from a 24 V voltage source. Internet rumours which cannot be verified claim that high voltage or a magnetic field of 360&nbsp;kV to overcome the [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coulomb_barrier Coulomb barrier] might be applied. The application of so high a voltage is not possible within such a small device due to spark generation.

 

Inventors also claim the mentioned "fusion" generates weak gamma and neutron radiation.<ref>Battaglia, L. Daddi, S. Focardi, V. Gabbani, V. Montalbano, F. Piantelli, P.G. Sona, S. Veronesi. "''Neutron emission in Ni-H Systems''". Nuovo Cimento 112A, pp. 921, 1999.</ref> Radiation is said to be β+ corpuscular radiation with positrons (known from potassium&nbsp;40-decay). They also claim they do not know the exact functional principle. The actual reaction chamber is estimated at a volume of about one litre and shielded by a layer of 2 cms of lead. In their patent application, inventors claim:

 

 

A contribution in their blog speculatively connects the Focardi Rossi Energy Amplifier to the [[hydrino]] theory of American physician and electrical engineer Randell Mills who claims to work with hydrogen and nickel, too.<ref>[http://www.journal-of-nuclear-physics.com/?p=338 E. Stremmenos: Hydrogen/Nickel cold fusion probable mechanism. Journal of nuclear physics, 12.12.2010]</ref> Mills is said to work with hydrogen and nickel, too. Supporters of "cold fusion" theories often claim so-called [[Low Energy Nuclear Reactions]] (LENR) were taking place. The term LENR is not known to professional journals and such fusion processes have not been proven as of yet.

 

Further internet speculations assume this was a normal chemical reaction which apparently remained unknown to inventors and which was usually applied in the purification of nickel ores: the "Sherritt-Gordon process"<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobalt_extraction_techniques#Recovery_from_nickel-cobalt_sulfide_concentrates_.28Sherritt_process.29</ref>, which is accompanied by a heat release, but is a conventional chemical reaction. The evidence of copper thus may be explained by the fact that available nickel often contains copper contaminations.

 

Looking for possible heat sources, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absorption_%28chemistry%29 absorption]] of hydrogen in nickel in a chemical reaction comes to mind. Hydrogen gas can enter into nickel (and other metals). Extraction on the other hand leads to cooling.

===The energy catalyzer and the Widom Larsen theory===

In 2011, cold fusion supporters repeatedly voiced speculations that the functional principle of Rossi's energy catalyzer was connected to a theory which is not recognized by scientific physics, the [[Widom Larsen theory]], in which the Coulomb barrier played no role. On inquiry, Andrea Rossi explained this theory was not necessary to explain the functional principle. The theory was formulated in 2005 by Allan Widom and Lewis Larsen and published in "Eur. Phys. J. C"<ref>"Ultra Low Momentum Neutron Catalyzed Nuclear Reactions on Metallic Hydride Surfaces," Eur. Phys. J. C, 46: 107–111. (2006)</ref> ([http://arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0505026 Full Text]). According to this theory, the "cold fusion" processes discussed are not actual fusion but interactions in which  [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weak_interaction weak nuclear force] plays a role. This theory claims electrons and protons were able to tansform to „ultra low momentum“ neutrons and one neutrino (e- + p ->n + neutrino). The Ultra Low Momentum Neutrons are said to bond to adjacent nuclei after a short time. The Widom-Larsen theory should avoid the problem of the ''"Three Miracles of Cold Fusion"'' of  Huizenga - 1993 (the lack of measurable neutron radiation, avoidance of the Coulomb barrier, and the lack of high-energy gamma rays) due to purported compliance with established physical laws. Reactions involving the weak interaction are mediated by [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/W-Boson W bosons] which could be demonstrated experimentally in 1983 with the particle accelerator (CERN). W-bosons have roughly 80 times the mass of protons and a very short range.<br><br>

 

 

Unverifiable internet rumours speculate it might be [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raney_nickel "Raney-Nickel"] since two fires in Rossi's laboratories were caused by "Raney-Nickel". Upon inquiry, Rossi stated that no Raney-Nickel was used. Focardi stated he was not aware of the composition of the catalyst himself, since only Rossi knew it. In a radio interview dated March 6, 2011, Focardi offered some speculations about the compound. He believes it was a chemical compound, not an element. It was not uranium. The obvious purpose of the substance was to catalyse the transformation of heated hydrogen gas (H2) into atomic hydrogen (a discussion of possible catalysts for this purpose can be found in a paper by Romanowski from 1999<ref>S. Romanowski, W. M. Bartczak, R. Wesołkowski: ''Density Functional Calculations of the Hydrogen Adsorption on Transition Metals and Their Alloys. An Application to Catalysis'', (3.8.1999), Langmuir, 1999, 15 (18), Seiten 5773–5780 - DOI: 10.1021/la981339q [http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/la981339q]</ref>). To complicate the identification of the catalyst, observers were prohibited to do a spectral analysis of possible gamma radiation, since it might allow the identification of elements of the compound.

 

In his report on the experiment dated March 29, 2011, Professor Sven Kullander wrote the reaction was stopped by switching off the heater and increasing the cooling water flow to a maximum of 30 litres per hour. This contradicts previous claims that the heater would be turned off when operating temperature was achieved. The red wire in the picture to the right (cm&nbsp;31&nbsp;-&nbsp;34) apparently is the heater supply. With a cable this thick it is possible to power the heater with 220&nbsp;volt/10&nbsp;amp from a regular wall outlet, which could provide 2,200&nbsp;Watts and explain the generation of steam.

 

Prof. Kullander also writes the heater acts as „safety“: ''"At the end of the horizontal section there is an auxiliary electric heater to initialize the burning and also to act as a safety if the heat evolution should get out of control."'' Quite apparently, a heater cannot act as a safeguard for a heat generating process.<ref name="Report_Kullander" />

==The self-destruction mechanism==

==The self-destruction mechanism==