Rossi E-cat

[billvon 3,120]

Some of you have probably heard about the latest cold fusion reactor, the Rossi E-cat. I've been hearing about it on a few science forums, and honestly I'm getting a little sick of the hype.

Well, today is supposed to be the Big Day where they reveal their 1 megawatt reactor intended for use in building heating. It's being tested at the University of Bologna. I think it would be cool to get something like this working, but based on the other five tests they've run (all of which were inconclusive) I don't have much enthusiasm for this one.

How it's supposed to work:

Normal (i.e. mostly protium) hydrogen is fed into a chamber with a nickel "sponge." The sponge is then heated with an electrical heater. The hydrogen permeates the nickel sponge, the sponge somehow allows super low temperature fusion to occur, and the nickel is gradually transformed to copper as energy is released from the fusion.

I have a feeling this will become the next Fleischmann and Pons thing, with something interesting (but not very useful) happening.

[skydiver30960 0]

A lot of attempts at flight went down in flames before we got it right. Now, flight is so commonplace we only ride the airplane one way, then jump out of it just for fun.

So, hopefully, SOMEday...

Elvisio "entropy?" Rodriguez

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

Is it just me or is the fact that it's at the University of Bologna a rather interesting little conicidince.

Almost a "Freudian Slip" if you will.

I hope it works, but I won't believe it until I see it (or someone trustworthy sees it).

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[Niki1 2]

I'm thinking they need warm superconductivity to make ot work.

Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossilbe before they were done.
Louis D Brandeis

Where are we going and why are we in this basket?

[riddler 0]

Considering our dire need for energy, we should explore as many crazy theories as we can. I'm not a huge proponent of LENR (the artist formerly known as cold fusion), but if it works, it may save a few billion lives just in the next few decades.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[popsjumper 2]

Sounds like a great way to turn nickels into pennies.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[ryoder 1,590]

Quote

Sounds like a great way to turn nickels into pennies.

Never be able to patent that;
Too much prior art in government.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[billvon 3,120]

>Sounds like a great way to turn nickels into pennies.

Hell, DZO's have been doing that for decades.

[popsjumper 2]

Quote

>Sounds like a great way to turn nickels into pennies.

Hell, DZO's have been doing that for decades.

Yeah, but WE get the benefits. Not some office building or the goobermint!
I [heart] DZOs.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[shah269 0]

I'll believe it when i see it.
Thus far the math nor the chemistry add up.
You need high temperatures....not easy.
You need to keep the resulting plasma away from everything using a very expensive coils.
And the resulting energy output throws off so many spare parts that the coils begin to degrade.

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[popsjumper 2]

I'm at a loss as to why it got deleted.
???????????

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[billvon 3,120]

Both unfortunately and predictably it looks like the latest test hasn't proved much of anything:

===============
E-Cat Test Demonstrates Energy Loss
Saturday, October 08, 2011 @ 14:40:22 PDT
Steven B. Krivit

Promoter Andrea Rossi’s most recent test of his “energy catalyzer” failed to demonstrate the production of excess heat.

On Oct. 7, “the ‘E-cat’ invented by Andrea Rossi ran in a completely stable self-sustained mode for over three hours,” journalist Mats Lewan [www.nyteknik.se] of Ny Teknik wrote.

According to Lewan, Rossi’s device released an average of 2.5 kilowatts of heat in 3.5 hours. This amounts to 31.5 megaJoules of energy.

However, Rossi heated the device with 2.7 kilowatts of electricity for four hours in advance. This amounts to 38.88 megaJoules of energy. He also heated the device during the phase which Lewan called “self-sustaining.” The input was 115 Watts for 3.5 hours. That’s 1.44 megaJoules of energy.

Let’s do the math of the total energy input versus energy output: (38.88 + 1.44) – 31.5 = 8.82.

That’s a total energy loss of 8.82 MJ during a 7.5-hour period*. In other words, Rossi has demonstrated a water heater that is 78 percent efficient. This is inconsistent with his claims of having a device that produces substantial amounts of excess heat in comparison to input energy.

On Oct. 7, New Energy Times asked Lewan how he justified his and Rossi’s implication that the Oct. 6 experiment showed a net energy gain, as well as their claim that the device was self-sustaining.

“I don’t believe I claimed anything at all,” Lewan wrote. “And I don’t think I reported a net energy gain. I only reported the energy developed during self- sustained mode.”

These are glaring inconsistencies.

Furthermore, in his technical report, Lewan ignores the input energy from the first four-hour warm-up period.

“The E-cat was considered to be completely operating only after reaching self-sustained mode,” he wrote.
========================

[skydiver30960 0]

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... In other words, Rossi has demonstrated a water heater that is 78 percent efficient... =

This part made me giggle.

All I see in pictures of "the device" is lots and lots and lots of black tape. Until that tape comes off, who knows what's up under there?

Elvisio "holding off on buying my round trip ticket to alpha centauri" Rodriguez