Sci/Tech Cold Fusion: Future of physics or phoney?

[phyrex1an]

Today is set to be the start of a new era of cheap power, as a new type of low-cost nuclear reactor goes live in front of an audience of scientists and media representatives in Bologna. Once the mystery customer who commissioned the device has confirmed that it really is producing one megawatt, they'll pay the developer, Andrea Rossi.

Unless, of course, it all goes horribly wrong.

Rossi's "energy catalyser" or E-Cat is based on a Low Energy Nuclear Reaction which produces vast quantities of energy from a few grams of hydrogen. Otherwise known as Cold Fusion, it's a field largely shunned by mainstream physicists. Rossi's work may have a significant number of followers, but it's still extremely controversial and some critics accuse him of outright fraud.

A demonstration earlier this month in Bologna with a smaller E-Cat was intended to answer some of the criticisms. Previously, Rossi had used the E-Cat to produce steam; this has led to arguments about the measurement method used to determine the weight and temperature of the steam. In a demonstration on 6 October, an E-Cat with a heat exchanger warmed a quantity of water. After initial electrical input from an external source, the E-Cat ran in "self-sustaining" mode for three and a half hours.

Cold fusion: smoke and mirrors, or raising a head of steam?

Wired.co.uk's LENR expert Davind Hambling analyses recent developments in the exciting world of cold fusion

www.wired.com

This has kinda been a running story here at thehelper. Seems like it's finally time for a real test

Some older news about the same project:
Italian scientists claim to have demonstrated cold fusion
Recent Cold Fusion Breakthroughs
Scientists Succeed in Cold Fusion? New test of the E-cat enhances proof of heat

 

[Jedimindtrixxx]

how cold is cold? like, can it still meltdown, or is it something room temperature that can be kept in basements to provide super duper power.

 

[phyrex1an]

Cold fusion refers to fusion happening at room temperature (-ish). That in itself doesn't prevent a meltdown, the fusion process also has to stop if the temperature becomes too high. Since the information about this thing is lacking (I still don't think they actually know what it does...) it's kinda hard to say exactly under what conditions fusion can still happen. From what I can gather it appears that the coolant (water) is also a catalyst for the fusion so loss of coolant should mean loss of fusion.
This is ofc assuming that there is fusion happening at all...

Operating temperature isn't actually terribly relevant to if a meltdown is possible (though, operating at a temperature close to or higher than the melting point of the containing or fusion/fission material obviously decreases the safety margins). What is interesting is what happens when you loose coolant or if you need coolant at all.

 

[The Helper]

It would be funny if what he was really doing was going forward on Tesla's research and powering his Fusion device wirelessly fooling the crap out of everyone

 

[FireCat]

Scam? Cheap energy for all eh?
Well, Just only hope it doesn't blow up in your face. If it does work! hmm

 

[Siretu]

I am extremely interested in the results of this. I wonder how it will impact humanity if it's true. The current economic situation makes it even more interesting.

 

[Sajin]

Cold fusion refers to fusion happening at room temperature (-ish).

its not so much room temp as it is a extremely more reasonable temperature compared to traditional nuclear fusion (~ millions of kelvins) so a temperature in excess of 100 to a few hundred of even a few thousand degrees F could still be considered cold fusion

 

[phyrex1an]

Success for Andrea Rossi's E-Cat cold fusion system, but mysteries remain

Against all the odds, Andrea Rossi's E-Cat cold fusion power plant passed its biggest test yesterday, producing an average of 470 kilowatts for more than five hours. (A technical glitch prevented it from achieving a megawatt as originally planned). The demonstration was monitored closely by engineers from Rossi's mysterious US customer, which was evidently satisfied and paid up.

The energy was output in the form of heat, measured by the quantity of water boiled off. The results are reported in NyTeknik and Pure Energy Systems News, who both had reporters present for the test. Associated Press also sent a correspondent who should be filing a story in the next few days (one suspects his editors might have some questions).

But this does not mean we can crack open the champagne and celebrate the end of fossil fuels quite yet. Skeptics have plenty of grounds to doubt whether the new test really takes us any further forwards.

For a start, the US customer remains anonymous. In other words, a group of unknown, unverifiable people carried out tests which cannot be checked.

More here.

Furthermore, the ecat was connected to a generator during the entire test but Rossi claims that it was turned off. No one checked this claim.
As far as I'm concerned, this is has now been exposed as a scam. I might change my opinion when a large well known company starts its advertising campaign to sell these things or when there is an actual test and not a marketing ploy.