Re: [Vo]:News from Japan

[Stephen A. Lawrence]

Terry Blanton wrote:
This site:

http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20080613/153276/

says it uses a "membrane electrode":

"The basic power generation mechanism of the new system is similar to
that of a normal fuel cell, which uses hydrogen as a fuel. According
to Genepax, the main feature of the new system is that it uses the
company's membrane electrode assembly (MEA), which contains a material
capable of breaking down water into hydrogen and oxygen through a
chemical reaction.

Though the company did not reveal the details, it "succeeded in
adopting a well-known process to produce hydrogen from water to the
MEA," said Hirasawa Kiyoshi, the company's president. This process is
allegedly similar to the mechanism that produces hydrogen by a
reaction of metal hydride and water. 


Does this not make it sound like the "real fuel" is the metal hydride 
(or component they're using in place of a hydride)?

If the reaction can be reversed then it would seem like they've produced 
a sort of weird storage battery.  If it can't be reversed then I have a 
hard time seeing where this might lead.


But compared with the existing
method, the new process is expected to produce hydrogen from water for
longer time, the company said. "


"a longer time" -- not "indefinitely" -- suggests, again, that the fuel 
is hydride (or its replacement).



<more>

On Sat, Jun 14, 2008 at 9:54 AM, Jones Beene <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
RUMOR CENTRAL

Take the following with a grain of sodium hydride...
oops make that sodium chloride ;-)

Coming on the heels of BLP's recent announcement of a
"solid fuel" power plant ... does this development
represent oneupsmanship from our friends to the East?
Is there a hidden agenda or strategy behind it? Is the
Japanese auto industry secretly involved?

I could not help but notice several things - from all
the info (mostly anecdotal) that I have been able to
gather from sending out about a hundred emails to
friends-of-friends and associates-of-associates (only
two responses so far):

1) this story is real, and probably represents a unit
recently on display at a trade show - which splits
water, generating H2 and O2 - which gases are then
immediately recombined in an adjoining fuel cell but
at significantly OU -- which is in the same range as
BLP (almost) claims to have seen (COP = 40). The last
part is inference based on how long the catalyst
lasts.

2) It is a very small output device- and they have
possibly gotten it up to 500 watts electrical, from
300.

3) The company seems to have come out of nowhere, but
some of the staff mysteriously has connections with
the Japanese auto industry.

4) The system (2 linked devices) was looked at, but
initially turned-down (apparently) by some heavy
hitters (Mitsubishi ??) and that is possibly because
they have already licensed something similar from
elsewhere or are close to having their own LENR
reactor... or else they want to see what kind of legal
reaction this generates in the USA.

5) There is a mystery ingredient which needs to be
replenished periodically. Unlike the gallium-aluminum
process from Purdue University, recently announced
which does split water:

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/05/16/purdue-professor-on-the-aluminum-enabling-hydrogen-economy/

this one (reportedly) does not rapidly consume the
secret ingredient.

... which could be a catalyst for redundant ground
states ... or not.

It will be interesting to see what happens...

Jones