Study of the Replica of Rossi s High Temperature Generator. New results

Transcription

1 Study of the Replica of Rossi s High Temperature Generator. New results Alexander Georgevici Parkhomov Translation by Bob Higgins and the Martin Fleischmann Memorial Project (MFMP)

2 On the basis of the Lugano report regarding the operation of Rossi s high temperature thermogenerator, it can be supposed that this reactor is in fact a simple ceramic tube which is charged with nickel powder with added LiAlH 4 (10% by mass). For the initiation of the process the tube must be heated to temperatures of C. Based on this supposition the devices discussed in this report were constructed.

3 Design of the reactors used: The reactor uses an Al 2 O 3 ceramic tube of length 120 mm, outer diameter of 10 mm and an inner diameter of 5 mm. Wound on the tube are heater coils. [Nichrome wire] Inside the tube is 1 g of powder: Ni + 10% Li [Al H4]. A thermocouple is placed in contact with the outer surface of the tube. The ends of the tubes are sealed with heat-resistant cement. Similarly, the entire surface of the reactor is covered with cement. Photo of the reactor prepared for this experiment

4 Measurement of Heat Produced The method used by experts testing Rossi s reactor, based on thermal readings, was too complicated. In this experiment, a technique is used based on the quantity of water lost to boiling. This technique worked and was repeatedly tested in experiments by Yu. N. Bazhutova. The reactor is enclosed in a metal container. This vessel is immersed. When the water boils, part will escape as steam. By measuring the decrease of water, and from the known heat of vaporization (2260 joules/kg), it is easy to calculate the heat generated. Correction for heat loss through the thermal insulation is calculated by the cooling rate after reactor shutdown.

5 Image of the Calorimeter without the Cover The reactor inner vessel has a massive (heavy) cover. It is immersed in water inside the outer vessel. The cylindrical thermal insulation has a cover made of foam - on this is placed the Geiger counter [SI-8B].

6 The Reactor in Operation Reactor and vessel view with the cover and thermal insulation removed

7 Reactor in Alumina Powder Thermal Insulation The reactor is enclosed in alumina powder poured into a metal trough. This allows a 2-3 times reduction in the power necessary to heat the reactor; however, the operation in this regime is less stable than in case of the naked reactor.

8 Setup Components On top from left to right: thermocouple amplifier with a power regulator, computer recorder for temperatures and count of the Geiger counter, a device measuring the rate of the Geiger counter. From left to right below: ammeter, reactor power supply, voltmeter, "Mercury" electronic meter, power supply switch.

9 Power Supply and Control System During the first experiments the electric supply for heating the reactor was taken directly from the mains using thyristors [SCRs]. Later experiments used a changing transformer winding. Both manual and automatic switching was used by the temperature controller. This allows us to provide continuous operation of the reactor at the given temperatures, improving the stability of functioning of the reactor. For measuring the consumed electric energy the "Mercury 201" electrocounter was used which allows the transfer of the information to the computer, also from the voltmeter and ammeter.

10 Measuring the Radiation Top- Geiger counter SI-8B Left- dosimeter DK-02 For neutron detection we used a foil of Indium immersed in the water of the calorimeter. Then the activity of the indium was measured using two Geiger counters. The impulses of the counters were recorded by a specialized computer. The same computer records the impulses from the Geiger tubes [put above and below the dosimeter film] and the metered electricity consumed.

11 Temperature Change versus Heating Experiment of December 20, 2014 On the diagram above, both the reactor temperature and the count rate of the SI-8B Geiger tube. This counter reacts to alpha, beta, gamma, and x-rays. During the entire process of heating, the count rate values cannot be distinguished from those of the background. No increase in the radiation dose of the DK-02 dosimeter was found during the process within the limits of the measurement error (5 mrem) - there was no observable activation of the indium foil.

12 Here, in more detail, is shown the temperature change with the input heating in steps near 300, 400 and 500 W. It can be observed that at constant values of heating input, the temperature is increasing in steps, especially noticeably near the end. At the final segment of the highest temperature, an oscillation of the temperature appears. This ends with termination of the heater input due to overheating (burn-out) of the heater winding. After this, during 8 minutes, the temperature is maintained at nearly 1200 C, and only after this period starts to decrease sharply. This shows that the reactor is producing heat during this time at the kilowatt level without any electric heater input. Thus it is seen from the heating curve that the reactor is able to generate substantial heat above the electric heating.

13 Determination of the Generated Heat Based on the experiment of December 20, 2014 Calculations were made for three cases of operation with temperatures of: about 1000 C, about 1150 C, and C At 1150 C and C the reactor output heat is much greater than the energy consumed. During these times (90 minutes) energy was produced in excess of electricity consumed by about 3 MJ, or 0.83 kilowatt-hours of energy.

14 Temperature Change versus Heating Experiment of January 18, 2015 At the start of the experiment the reactor is in air on alumina supports. The maximum attainable temperature with 450 W heater input is 900 C. After this, the reactor was covered with thermal insulation of alumina powder. At a constant power of 160 W the temperature increased from 600 C to 1000 C. After this the reactor worked for 38 minutes at a temperature near to 1080 C. When we tried to increase the temperature the heater burned out.

15 Determination of the Generated Heat Based on the experiment of January 18, 2015 The calculation was done for two regimes of work: at 800 C (reactor in air), and near to 1080 C (reactor in alumina powder) At 1080 C the heat released from the reactor is significantly greater than the energy consumed.

16 These tables show the results obtained in several experiments. In addition to the experiments with reactors loaded with a mixture of Ni + Li [AlH 4 ], experiments were conducted with reactor models without fuel. In experiments with reactor models having no fuel as well as with reactors with fuel at a temperature below 1000 C, the ratio of the released thermal energy to electric energy input is close to 1. Significant excess heat was observed only with the fuel and at temperatures of about 1100 C and above.

17 The problem of uncontrolled local overheating Local overheating resulted in destruction of the reactor. The main problem is short-term operation of the reactors, associated with the destruction caused by local overheating.

18 Reactors after experiments

19 Findings Experiments with the replica of the Rossi high temperature heat source loaded mixture of lithium aluminum hydride and nickel, have shown that at temperatures of about 1100 C or higher, this device actually produces more energy than it consumes. The level of ionizing radiation during reactor operation does not significantly exceed background rates. Neutron flux density does not exceed 0.2 neutrons/cm 2