Over the past six months, news of Andrea Rossi's E-Cat (Energy Catalyzer) Cold Fusion technology has spread across the internet and beyond. Although the so called "mainstream" networks are mostly ignoring this game changing technology, more people are taking notice, including scientists around the world and even a Chief NASA scientist. (Link) The ability of this technology to produce cheap, safe, clean, and abundant energy has put hope in the hearts of many that a true alternative to fossil fuels is on the way.
The E-Cat technology utilizes a very simple setup. Nickel powder, hydrogen gas, and an undisclosed catalyst(s) is placed in a reactor vessel. Heat and pressure is then applied to the reactor via a number of electric resistors. Once a temperature of 400C or so is reached, nuclear fusion starts to take place. Energy is produced in the form of heat. The amount of energy produced in the form of heat is many times that of the electrical input energy. At a minimum, the
E-Cat units are guaranteed to produce six times the input energy in heat. This six fold gain has been exceeded many times, and the output is only kept near the rated output of the module for safety reasons.
One technical aspect of the E-Cat or Energy Catalyzer is that after the nuclear reactions begin and the device is fully "on", a small amount of input power continues to be maintained. It has been clarified that the continual input power is present for safety purposes. Apparently, by maintaining a small input, the output of the device can remain stable, without the possibility of the output rising to an unsafe level.
Another possible mode of operation (instead of utilizing a constant stream of external input power), is what could be called self-sustain mode. In this mode, once the reactor is heated up to a certain temperature and the reactions become energetic enough, the reactions can feed on themselves. The E-Cat can then keep producing energy without an input. Self sustain mode is also called, "heat after death" in cold fusion lingo. It is considered a Holy Grail of cold fusion research, and has only been obtained a limited number of times over the past two decades.
In the past, Rossi has stated that allowing E-Cat's to run in self sustain mode is not safe. He has mentioned in torture tests or stress tests, that allowing E-Cats to self sustain has produced explosions. Of course this does not mean the technology is dangerous, because in all stress tests (in which you push a device until it breaks) failures are common. This is the case for internal combustion motors, electric motors, and generators.
The good news is that Rossi has announced that he is performing tests and experiments to develop a safe self-sustain mode. In such a mode of operation, an input would be used to start up an E-Cat, but would then be turned off. The E-Cat could continue to operate without any input energy whatsoever.
Rossi's Statements and Answers
Here are the statement Rossi made on his blog, revealing the research being done to make E-Cats that can safely self sustain.
http://www.journal-of-nuclear-physics.com/?p=360&cpage=21#comment-46906
June 18th, 2011 at 8:32 AM
Dear C.Monti:
Thanks for your smart insight.
About the question: in these days we are making tests with zero energy input, to try to make them safe. Probably we are close. The day before yesterday a new Cat worked for one hour producing 15 kWh/h without energy input, then I had to stop it because it was continuing to raise energy output. Anyway: yes, we have a power back up if grid goes black out.
Warm Regards,
A.R.
http://www.journal-of-nuclear-physics.com/?p=360&cpage=21#comment-47097
June 19th, 2011 at 4:12 AM
Dear Italo A. Albanese:
Thank you for your in sight: as you know, I cannot give information about what happens inside the reactor. To work without a drive is very dangerous, anyway, in my lab I am making with a reactor 14 kWh/h without energy input, but, again it is very dangerous. When I make this I have to be alone on the reactor, even if on the 14th of June in Bologna I did this for about 1 hour at the presence of Dr Bianchini, of the University of Bologna, asking him to check the radiations outside the reactor: the Gieger I always work with had an increase of emission, but it turned out that we were inside the acceptable limits. Bu it is out of question that I can accept to use the reactors this way in public or for the Customers. To be safe, totally safe, we must have a drive and we must not exceed the factor of 6 (I mean producing 6 times the energy consumed by the drive). Which is what we guarantee to our customers.
Warm Regards,
A.R.
In a series of answers to questions asked by a poster on his blog at the "Journal of Nuclear Physics", Rossi gave additional details about his experiment.
1) The size of the reactor vessel during the experiment that produced a self sustaining 15 kW was 50 cubic centimeters (about the size of a cell phone).
2) Hydrogen pressure is the variable they are testing to try and obtain a safe, self sustaining E-Cat.
3) The reactions in the self sustaining E-Cat stopped 20 minutes after the experiment was brought to an end.
4) The maximum safe output level for the 50 cc E-Cat unit is 10 kW.
5) At this moment, he thinks it would be too dangerous for the one megawatt plant to operate in self sustain mode. He does not indicate that it is impossible, but that it is not safe enough right now.
These comments from Rossi are very exciting. The fact a reactor vessel only 50cc in size can produce a safe output of 10 kW is phenomenal. Of course when used commercially, they will probably operate around their official 2.5 kilowatt specification (which is still a lot of output for such a tiny device).
Significance
The significance of a self sustaining E-Cat would be gigantic. It would mean that E-Cat units will be able to operate without any continual input power, with a huge power output. This will be "heat after death" to a degree cold fusion researchers have only dreamed about!
Of course the final judge of this technology will be the market. When the technology is being sold and utilized across the world, no one will be able to dispute the fact it is real. Until that happens, the naysaying skeptics will continue howling and looking for something to complain about. Every single test of the E-Cat so far has been a success, but the skeptics have constantly ignored facts and brought up issues that had already been settled. However, it will be more difficult for them to find fault with a self sustaining device. When data eventually comes out showing the results of such testing (even if we don't get such information until the launch of the one megawatt plant in Xanthi, Greece), it will be interesting to watch their reaction.
The truth is of course, the skeptics don't matter. What matters is this technology, and how it can be used to better our world. Months ago, Andrea Rossi compared the E-Cat to a "Model T" automobile, and stated that the technology would rapidly evolve into a Porsche sports car. As is to be expected, that evolution is taking place as we speak, before the technology even hits the market!
