I think are a many potential downsides to using bulk material substrates
(foams, foils, wires) with nickel coatings.
- you might get large and non-homogenous transient temperature changes
throughout the reactor and this could lead to deformation and even breakup
of large continuous scaffolds.
- it prevents transport of powder throughout the reactor (which may be
important for continuous operation in terms of subjecting the nickel to
varying temperatures or physical impacts to create hydrogen flux through
the nickel surface)
- a foil type substrate may constrain or otherwise limit convective flow of
hydrogen (particularly if there is thermal deformation of the substrate),
allowing hot-spots to form and creating worse temperature inhomogeneities
throughout the reactor.
- thermal expansion and material crystalline structure phase changes caused
by temperature change or hydrogen loading can lead to large dimensional
mismatches and stresses between substrate and nickel - leading to the
nickel coating flaking off etc, at which point why not just use powder
anyway?
- the processes by which you apply the nickel coating to the substrate may
have limitations and so not be optimal for creating the exact chemical
alloy makeup and surface topologies required for best LENR performance.
- making nano-powder will almost certainly be cheaper than any plating
procedure.
- harder to recycle substrate with nickel coating
- very easy to replace nickel powder in a reactor.
- one or more of the above problems will probably impose a lower
temperature limit on the process than the nickel powder would have by
itself.
Hydrogen convection driven by buoyancy will likely slowly agitate and
transport nickel nano-particles throughout the reactor, with radiation at
high temperatures and physical contact of the blowing nickel particles with
the walls also enhancing heat transfer.
That does not mean nickel on a substrate won't work, but it appears to come
with more potential problems, temperature limitations and higher
fabrication and running costs than nickel powder, with few if any benefits
that I can see. So unless you have other compelling reasons for a
substrate I think you may as well just stick with the nano powder.
On 25 January 2012 19:28, mar...@krteknik.com wrote:
Hello guys
I have a q, i have been reading all the posts about the problems with
energy transfer, core melts and so on .
Why not embed the nickel / catalyst mix in a honeycomb, or other structure
that gets easy acess for both H2 and
heat trasnfer to the walls of the tube ?
Is there any practical method of doing this?
I have thought about covering steel or other material with nickel as so
many other people, but in my mind that decrease the surface
too much, a fungi or honeycomb like structure would maybe work, but how to
make one ?
Any ideas ?
Marten
