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Cold Fusion Conference Counts Eleven Labs
James Salsman writes: "From an American Physical Society conference session held a week ago, there appear to be now eleven institutions actively publishing cold fusion results: Research Systems (Arlington, VA), SRI International, ENEA (Italy), JET Energy (Welleslley, MA), Middle Tennessee State Univ., Russian Academy of Sciences, U. of Il. at Urbana-Champaign, U.S. Navy's SPAWAR Systems Center in San Diego, First Gate Energy (Woodside, CA, and a few blocks from my house), New Energy Research Lab. (NH), and MIT. Credible or crackpot? You be the judge."
Working on the edge of commonly accepted science must be hard on the nerves for these researchers. Exceptional results require exceptional evidence, to mangle a Carl Sagan quote, and they must cut a *very* fine line between caution and excitement when they think they've got a positive detection of some kind of cold fusion result.
If cold fusion is discovered and turned into a viable alternative energy, then good on them and I wish them well. But if it turns out to be experimental error or more conventional phenomenon, well.....it could easily leave them out in the cold when looking for a new job - I hope that they all have more mainstream research that can provide bread and butter on their table.
Dr Fish
The primary source is http://www.aps.org/meet/MAR02/baps/abs/S7810.html.
As you can see from the text below, this is not a joke.
They had one more presentation than last year At least they're now allowed to call it "cold fusion" instead of "Palladium-Deuteron" and "Palladium Electrochemistry" as they had to before 2001.
Session W21 - Cold Fusion.
FOCUS session, Friday morning, March 22
139, Indiana Convention Center
[W21.001] Quantum Delocalized Interfacial Deuterium as Cold Fusion Heat Source, by Talbot Chubb (Research Systems, Inc., 5023 N. 38th St., Arlington, VA 22207)
Work is underway to test: 1) whether radiationless deuteron cold fusion occurs in quantum delocalized deuterium band-state matter on the interface between a metal surface and a polarizable electrolyte, and 2) whether quantum delocalized deuterium can be produced by overpotential electrolysis in a reactant-starved electrolytic cell. Puska and Nieminen (M. J. Puska and R. M. Nieminen, Surf. Sci. 157, 413 (1985).) showed that D on Ni(111) exists in Bloch function form when in an excited state. Modeling of exchange-symmetrized Bloch-function deuterium in D+ ion band states in a periodic lattice indicates(T. A. and S. R. Chubb,Fus.Tech.20, 93 (1991) and later papers.) that many-body effects can mitigate the normal Coulomb barrier. Liaw et al.(B. Y.Liaw et al, J. Electroanal. Chem. 318, 161, (1991).)showed that nuclear heat release occurred during D-starved electrolysis at a 1.7-Volt overpotential in the Al/KCl,LiCl,LiD/Pd system. Clarke et al. (W. B. Clarke et al, Fus.Sci. Tech. 40, 152 (2001).) showed nuclear reactions had occurred in an Arata-style cathode, containing wet Pd-black, which had been subject to Pt/D_2O,LiOD/Pd electrolysis. H_2O-starved behavior is shown in Pt/KOH,NaOH/Ag electrolysis.
[W21.002] Progress on the SRI/ENEA Collaboration to Investigate Gaseous D_2 / Pd Nuclear Effects, by Michael C.H. McKubre, Francis L. Tanzella (SRI International, Menlo Park, CA), Paolo Tripodi, Vittorio Violante (ENEA, 00044 Frascati, Rome, Italy)
A collaborative effort has been established formally between SRI and ENEA researchers to test and demonstrate the cross-laboratory replicability of gas phase Pd/D_2 excess heat, helium and tritium observations. Similar facilities are being established in both countries to allow on-line determination of heat effects correlated with helium-4, and ultimately helium-3 measurements from so called "Case" experiments involving the application of modest temperatures and D_2 gas pressures to a packed bed of palladium on carbon catalyst and other finely divided palladium materials. The results of experiments performed under similar protocols will be examined and compared. A second facet of this collaboration is the joint attempt to replicate the production of tritium in an "Arata-Zhang" hollow, double-structured cathode. Two massive hollow palladium electrodes were manufactured at ENEA and sealed to contain palladium black within the enclosed void. These electrodes presently are being operated at SRI as electrolytic cathodes in LiOD electrolyte. On experiment termination these will be sectioned and the contents examined for helium-4, helium-3 and evidence of tritium.
[W21.003] The Impact of Heavy Water (D_2O) Doping, by Mitchell Swartz (JET Energy Technology, Inc., Welleslley,MA)
Heavy water (D_2O) yields significant increases in the excess heat observed for nickel light water systems for all input electrical power levels examined (250 to 1500 mW). Gas-free spiral-wound, cold-worked nickel cathodes [volume 0.47 cm^3, area 6.39 cm^2] with an anodic platinum plate en face were examined near the peak of their optimal operating point (OOP) manifold. The peak power gain for light water [1.25^+/-.15] increased with the addition of 3.7% D_2O to 1.7 ^+/-0.2. The rate of peak excess energy generated by the nickel light water system increased from 0.25 ^+/-.05 Joules per second with H_2O, to 0.36 ^+/-0.1 with 3.7D_2O. The volume specific rate of excess energy accumulation as a function of the deuteron population is 6.0 [D/H] + 0.45 Joules/sec per cubic centimeters nickel. The surface specific rate of excess energy accumulation is 0.44 [D/H] + 0.03 Joules/sec per cubic centimeters nickel area. The form of the OOP-manifold remains similar to that for light water. We report that "overdrive" loading of deuterons into these materials, especially at > 4% D _2 O, and at >700 mW, produce irreversible changes in the nickel, characterized both by gross loss of performance and synchronous irreversible lowering of the nickel electrode's specific electrical resistivity when examined by the four-probe technique [ \approx 8-9.6% ].
[W21.004] The Elevation of Boiling Points in H_2O and D_2O Electrolytes, by M.H. Miles, H.D. Arman, J.D. Carrick, C.K. Gren, K.A. Haggerty, H.Y. Kim, A.G. Ky, J.E. Markham, C.F. Meeks, D.E. Noga (Middle Tennessee State University, Department of Chemistry, Murfreesboro, TN 37132, USA)
The excess enthalpy effect in cold fusion experiments for Pd/D_2O systems is subject to positive feedback, i.e., increasing the cell temperatureincreases the excess enthalpy . Therefore, the largest excess enthalpy effects are often observed near or at the boiling point corresponding to that of the electrolyte solution in the cell(M.H. Miles, M. Fleischmann and M.A. Imam, "Calorimetric Analysis of a Heavy Water Electrolysis Experiment Using a Pd-B Alloy Cathode", Naval Research Lab Mem. Rep.,#6320-01-8526, pp. 27-30 (2001).). However, the actual boiling point increases as the D_2O content of the cell decreases. The purpose of this project will be to compare experimental values of the change in temperature \DeltaT obtained using H_2O and D_2O solutions with theoretical values of \DeltaT calculated by assuming ideal solutions. The emphasis will be on higher concentrations as well as on saturated solutions where \DeltaT values may be quite large. Preliminary results for LiOH in H_2O show reasonable agreement with ideal solution \DeltaT values up to LiOH concentrations of 1.0 molal (m).
[W21.005] In-situ Long-range Alpha Particles and X-ray Detection for Thin-film Pd Cathodes During Electrolysis in Li_2SO_4/H_2O, by A.G. Lipson (Univ. of Illinois, Department of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering, Urbana, IL 61801, USA), A.S. Roussetski (P.N. Lebedev Physics Institute Russian Academy of Sciences, 51 Leninsky Prospect, Moscow 117924 Russia), C.H. Castano, Kim S-O., G.H. Miley (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering, Urbana, IL 61801, USA)
Measurements of long-range alpha and soft X-ray emissions have been performed using cyclotron calibrated CR-39 plastic track and LiF/Al_2O_3:C-Thermo-Luminescent (TLD) detectors. Application of CR-39 and TLD detectors to the surface of the thin Pd film-cathodes sputtered on the insulator substrate (glass, Al_2O_3, PMMA) allows detection of both alpha and soft X-ray emissions simultaneously with excess heat measurements during electrolysis using 1 Molar Li_2SO_4/H_20 electrolyte. The alpha particles in the range of 8.0 < E< 30.0 MeV (which produced alpha tracks with diameters d, in the range, 7.6> d> 6.0 \mum) were detected upon the electrolysis. Those alpha-tracks are quite unique, never having been observed during CR-39 exposure with trans-uranium alpha -sources (Am^241, Pu^239). The TLD measurement shows generation of the low intensity 5.0-10.0 keV X-ray quanta (\Phi_x < 5.0 s ^-1*cm^-2) accompanying the alpha emission.
[W21.006] Thermal Measurement during Electrolysis of Pd-Ni Thin-film -Cathodes in Li2SO4/H2O Solution, by C.H. Castano, A.G. Lipson, Kim S.-O., G.H. Miley (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering, Urbana, IL 61801, USA)
Using LENR - open type calorimeters, measurements of excess heat production were carried out during electrolysis in Li_2SO_4/H_2O solution with a Pt-anode and Pd-Ni thin film cathodes (2000-8000 thick) sputtered on the different dielectric substrates. In order to accurately evaluate actual performance during electrolysis runs in the open-type calorimeter used, considering effects of heat convection, bubbling and possible H_2+O_2 recombination, smooth Pt sheets were used as cathodes. Pt provides a reference since it does not produce excess heat in the light water electrolyte. To increase the accuracy of measurements the water dissociation potential was determined for each cathode taking into account its individual over-voltage value. It is found that this design for the Pd-Ni cathodes resulted in the excess heat production of \sim 20-25 % of input power, equivalent to \sim300 mW. In cases of the Pd/Ni- film fracture (or detachment from substrate) no excess heat was detected, providing an added reference point. These experiments plus use of optimized films will be presented.
[W21.007] Preparation of Pd-Ni Thin-film Electrodes using Magnetron Sputtering, by S.-O. Kim, C.H. Castano, A.G. Lipson, N. Luo, G.H. Miley (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering, Urbana, IL 61801, USA)
This study fabricated Pd-Ni thin film on Macor and Alumina substrate using magnetron sputtering in order to develop optimized cathodes for electrolysis experiments. The surface morphology of palladium-Nickel thin films on the different substrates showed completely distinct structures. Figures of merit for the cathodes include maximum excess heat production and lifetime. The quality of the film has been studied as a function of surface preparation, deposition rate, adhesion, hydrogen transport properties, and operational lifetime. This involves extensive analysis prior to and after annealing and after electrolytic runs.
[W21.008] Sub-surface Separation of Pd Isotopes in Cold-worked Palladium Foils as a Result of Deuterium Loading, by E.I. Saunin, A.G. Lipson (Institute of Physical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 31 Leninsky Prospect, Moscow 117915, Russia), G.H. Miley (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering, Urbana, IL 61801, USA), V.I. Savenko (Institute of Physical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 31 Leninsky Prospect, Moscow 117915, Russia)
Symmetric separation of Pd isotope pairs of Pd^108-Pd^105 and Pd^110-Pd^104 taking place in the sub-surface layer down to 500 depth in the cold worked Pd foil loaded with deuterium has observed by a high-resolution SIMS technique. It is established that the Pd isotope separation is solely defined by a strong plastic deformation (mechanical strain), induced by deuterium loading in Pd-matrix. Possible mechanisms for the sub-surface Pd isotope separation include (a) Pd atom self-diffusion through Pd-vacancy/Pd-lattice interfaces and (b) Pd atom "centrifugation" within the dislocation sources/loops.
[W21.009] Resistance Measurement of Sputtered Pd Thin-Films During Electrolysis N. Luo, C.H. Castano, Kim S-O., A.G. Lipson, T.H. Woo, G.H. Miley (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering, Urbana, IL 61801, USA)
We report the real-time resistance measurement of Pd thin films during electrolysis. The result confirms the typical resistance-loading curve obtained in the bulk Pd/H(D) system(M.C.H. McKubre et al., Proc. ICCF3, 5 (1993).)^,(G. Selvaggi, Master Degree Thesis, University of Illinois, (2001).). The time dependent resistance, however, indicates a much faster hydrogen diffusion rate along the film axis than that observed in bulk systems. One possible reason is likely the fast diffusion through grain boundaries that are abundant in sputtered thin metal films. This condition is considered favorable for the loading-flow rate desired to achieve proton reactions.
[W21.010] Thermal and Pressure Gradients in the Polarized Pd/D System, by J. Dea, P.A. Mosier-Boss, S. Szpak (SPAWAR Systems Center San Diego, San Diego, CA 92152)
It is known that negatively polarized Pd/D electrodes, prepared by the co-deposition technique, and immersed in heavy water, generate excess enthalpy at well defined spots randomly distributed in time and space. A natural consequence of localized heat sources is the development of associated pressure gradients. T he easiest way to display such gradients is to co-deposit the Pd/D system onto a pressure sensitive substrate. Indeed, in the course of the co-deposition, we have observed pressure spikes shortly after initiation of current flow. Two points of interest are discussed: First, the frequency of these spikes increases with time and with cell current; and second, in a fully charged system, they persist for hours upon termination of the cell current. The presence of pressure spikes during Pd/D co-deposition is consistent with excess enthalpy generation, which has been reported by us earlier. Furthermore, the occurrence of pressure gradients upon termination of current flow is expected in view of the heat-after-death effect, discussed by Fleischmann. A connection between excess heat generation, the presence of pressure gradients and the initiation of the Fleischmann-Pons effect is considered.
[W21.011] Finding the Missing \gamma in D+D\rightarrow ^4He Cold Fusion Excess Heat, by Scott Chubb (Research Systems, Inc., Burke, VA 22015)
The source of Cold Fusion (CF) Excess Heat is a novel form of D+D\rightarrow ^4He reaction in which no high energy \gamma rays are emitted (http://www.aps.org/meet/MAR01/baps/abs/S7640003.h tml)
. An important source of confusion concerning this point is the
apparent lack of consensus about known effects associated even with
the conventional D+D\rightarrow^4He+\gamma reaction. In fact,
although little information about D+D\rightarrow ^4He+\gamma appears
in the conventional fusion literature, the photo-dissociation
reaction ^4He+\gamma\rightarrowD+D not only has been widely studied
but is known to occur through a quadrupolar (E2) transition in
which the two particle wave function associated with the D-nuclei
is required to preserve Bose symmetry, in the far field regions,
where the Electromagnetic Interaction EMI is dominant. Also in this
reaction coupling occurs between strong and EMI's that invalidates
the separability requirements that are present in the remaining
D+D fusion reactions. These facts lend credibility to the notion
that coherent many-body effects, involving D-exchange can alter
the reaction in such a way that \gamma ray emission is not required.
[W21.012] Evidence for D+D \rightarrow ^4He Without High Energy Paricles, via Cavitation, by Roger Stringham (First Gate, 84 Big Tree Rd, Woodside, CA 94062)
The collapse of a transient cavitation bubble in deuterium oxide produces a high density plasma jet containing 1010 deuterons. The jet experiences an inertial compression via the pinch effect to reach high densities in the order of 1025 gm/cc before implanting into a foil target. During the initial period of implantation of a few picoseconds, the high density deuterons in the target lattice experience reduced coulomb repulsion due to the high density charge screening. In this environment it is possible some DD fusion events occur as evidenced by 75 to 1000 nanometer diameter vents in the target lattice. Photos of the metal target foils show a unique population distribution of vents and analysis of the reactor gases show evidence of helium four production. Making some basic assumptions the smallest diameter and highest population vents are produced by events in the order of 20 Mev. When monitored there was no long range radiation detected.
[W21.013] Progress Toward a Sono-Fusion Demonstration Device, by Kenneth Rauen, Eugene Mallove (New Energy Research laboratory, PO Box 2816, Concord, NH 03302-2816)
New Energy Research Laboratory (NERL) has been developing a commercial demonstration device, based on the pioneering work of Roger Stringham (First Gate Energies). Stringham has shown how to produce excess heat from ultrasonic, cavitating bubbles, typically using D_2O, in contact with various metals. NERL has improved the power and heat measurements, by employing Seebeck envelope calorimetry. Nerl has also improved the design of these sono-cavitation reactors, and may make them available in 2002 to the public, in the form of research kits, which would be suitable for corporations and universities, as well as individual engineers and scientists who would like to obtain hands-on, concrete proof of phenomena connected with cold fusion particularly its primary signature: nuclear scale excess energy. Potentially, such kits may be useful for investigating anomalous by-products, such as helium-4. But the primary goal of the kit is to demonstrate significant excess energy beyond electro-acoustic input power. Prototype reactors here at NERL have already produced about 1.5 watts of continuous excess power for many hours.
[W21.014] Extracting Compact dd State Energies from the Kasagi Experiment, by Peter Hagelstein (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Research Laboratory of Electronics, Cambridge, MA 02139)
Kasagi has reported on the observation of 17 MeV protons and 6 MeV alpha particles from 100 KeV deuterons incident on metal deuteride targets. As the fast proton and alpha signals have a large spread in energy, Kasagi has conjectured that these products may be due to a three-body ddd-fusion reaction process. We have previously described a model in which coupling between nuclei and the lattice leads to the development of compact dd-states as a consequence of site-other-site interactions. The model indicates that the compact dd-states can have a spread of energies as a consequence of the different nuclei/phonon coupling strength associated with different sites. The impact of a spread in dd-state energies on the proton and alpha energy distributions is discussed.
Muon catalyzed fusion has existed for some years now. You simply replace the electrons of deuterium with much much much much much heavier muons (did I say that they're much heavier?). This allows the atoms to fuse more easily, and at lower temperatures. This is a form of cold fusion. Unfortunately, it takes more energy to make the muons then you get out of the fusion. So far.
So remember kiddies, when they say "we can do fusion", or "we have cold fusion", they're usually right, but it might just not be a viable power source in the way that they do it.
Don't Bogart the fish sticks
Looks like someone didn't read the article's abstracts, nor their peer-reviewed citations, nor the multi-megabyte U.S. Navy SPAWAR/San Diego technical report.
Unsurprising.
If you want to count, instead of making unsubstantiated claims, look for the strings "res+" and "res-" in Dieter Britz's Cold Fusion Bibliography which contains nearly every peer-reviewed cold fusion article ever published in the scientific literature. The negative results got off to a strong early lead (hence the controversy and ridicule) but the positive results now lead the negative results about 450 to 250. The most important thing to note is that there have been NO negative results published since 1995. I guess people figured it out after five years. Too bad the public's mass consciousness is seemingly indelibly etched.
The evidence IS there. Take a look!
I'm diving into the pool early here, but the first two mod-3+ comments are up, and they both need a nice, sensible rebuttal:
First: there is no grand conspiracy in science. Fox and Mulder are as nonexistant as Santa Claus. Likewise for cold fusion's early claims. How do I know this? Because I was in a tiny little physics department 150 miles due north of Pons & Fleischman (sp?) when they released their results. No big science. No big budgets. No reason to fudge results wrong and lots of reasons to verify a nearby peer's claim. Just a dozen PhD's, a very minimalist beam lab, some grad students pursuing Master's Degrees, and a whole boatload of freshman Astronomy courses.
Our department faculty jumped on it, because it was nearby, it was novel, and the experiment was easily reproduced. The math even somewhat works. Papers written all over the world came to the same conclusion ours did: close... but no cigar.
So... ditch the conspiracy theories. Rather than ask a physicist about cold fusion (a wild-card answer is all you'll get, 'cuz they're all tired of the subject like I'm tired of Roswell and any other tabloid topic), ask any physicist more carefully phrased questions:
1 - was the cold fusion experiment mentioned above a bust: yep.
2 - is there a conspiracy to bury cold fusion: nope.
3 - would it surprise you if cold fusion became a reality (in *any* form) someday: nope.
4 - what do you watch for as you snore your way through new papers or claims: breakthroughs, significant exothermy, or mention of something useful and unexpected, together something different about aparatus or method that explains the cause.
As for conspiracies, the closest to truth there is that top scientists do have monumental ego's. Perhaps even too big, if you ask me. Does it impede (as in SLOW DOWN) progress? At times. Does it ever prevent the truth getting out? Hell, no. It can slow release of information down, but nothing stops curiosity. More importantly, nothing ever stops all the rest of us from wanting to help discovery along, get famous (perhaps) or even for a brief time be 'Smarter than a Nobel Laureate'. And regardless of how shouted-down someone might be for an iconoclastic view *this year*, the truth gets out. Even a bad idea gets attention (I was once asked to build a prototype to help a professor convince a politician that some rube-goldberg gravity-defying device wasn't a perpetual-motion device capable of launching anything into space).
So, stop with crying 'conspiracy'. Yes, there might be papers being written. Are they making advances? Probably. But enough reputable papers have been written and enough effort has been put into this that it isn't conspiracy that makes physicists all shrug when people talk small, incremental cold fusion advances. The problem's just unsolved and we're all busy elsewhere on our own unsolved problems. The collective non-shrug will come when a respected peer calls one of us up and say "Hey, this one's *INTERESTING*".
-- The most powerful declaration in the scientific method isn't "Eureka!", but "That's funny..."
In the original post, James Salsman asks: "Credible or crackpot? You be the judge."
Worth noting is that the American Physical Society allows any member or any person sponsored by a member to present a paper at an APS March or April meeting. Furthermore, any person can become an APS member.
The point of those APS meetings is open discussion of all topics in physics without the society making a judgement on the validity of the work.
So James' question is a good - you, as an individual, be the judge because the APS is making no statement whatsoever about the validity of the work.