Could this theory explain why e-cat works only at exactly 44.50N, 11.40E ( Via dell'Elettricista, 6<http://maps.google.it/maps/place?ftid=0x477e2c9d8f052653:0xbb01c2caaede9d3b&q=44.503798,11.402594&ved=0CA4Q-gswAA&sa=X&ei=XyHdTs3zLubRmAWdv_DoBw&sig2=MSCvhxqFZtuv5lrCZrt8zw>40138 Bologna Italy) and A.R. refuses to run tests in different location ?
2011/12/5 David Roberson <dlrober...@aol.com> > It is apparent that a lot of energy is required to initiate the nuclear > reaction in ECAT type devices. This problem is always a sticking point > for the skeptical point of view and certainly makes the process seem less > likely to most of us in the other camp. I proposed the possibility of > cosmic rays acting as the trigger for the reactions since they are known to > be very energetic and always present. > If you think about explosives in general, it is evident that they could in > theory self explode under the right circumstances. Nitroglycerin comes > immediately to mind when I think of a really nasty substance to play with. > A drop of this material hitting a surface from a short fall will explode > violently. This is an example of a triggered explosion which must have > interesting characteristics in order to occur. > Plain old fashioned black gunpowder is another example of a triggered > explosive material that is quite stable under normal circumstances. You > can place a match onto a small pile of the powder and it will just lay > there and burn for a while until the entire mass of material erupts rapidly > with a bright flash. > The initiation process for these two materials must depend upon the > geometry and energy release characteristics. I am not an expert on > explosives but have given consideration to the process that I assume leads > to a mass explosive event. In the case of the gunpowder, I consider the > reaction to be started by the application of heat energy to a small region > of the material. The heat energy is sufficient to cause a tiny portion > of the powder to ignite and release additional heat. This relatively > large heat energy must escape the small volume through the surface area > surrounding it. If the burn is to continue, then the heat escaping the > initial volume must be sufficient to ignite more material at the surface to > continue the process. > If there is insufficient heat to ignite the new material then the burn > would die out and there would be no explosion. This model that I have > envisioned would tend to suggest that there would be a minimum volume of > initial burning material required in order to achieve an explosive event. > Heat is generated throughout the volume while it escapes through the > surface area. This is where the story might get interesting. Chemical > energy released by burning of a material such as black powder is many > thousands if not millions of times less than that released by a fusion > reaction and I would expect the differences to show up clearly. > One of the main differences I would expect is for the initiated volume to > be many times smaller in the case of fusion than that seen with chemical > reactions. Also, the energy required to initiate a fusion reaction could > be concentrated into the region occupied by the nickel atom and the > adjacent hydrogen nuclei and might be available in the form of cosmic ray > interactions. I suspect that we all would agree that there is sufficient > energy contained within a cosmic ray to overcome the coulomb repulsion > barrier. > If the fusion of a nickel atom and a hydrogen nucleus is possible as a > result of the interaction of a cosmic ray, then it seems that we have > achieved a trigger that might result in additional reactions if sufficient > energy is released. The time domain release nature of the induced energy > as well as the form it takes could be the reason for continued reactions. > Most of the information available suggests that heat is the major form of > energy outputted during the LENR events and that this is released after a > short delay period instead of instantaneously after the proton is acquired. > This delay is fortunate; otherwise an explosion of the entire structure > might occur. > The pictures of damage to electrodes by pitting suggest that the fusion > reaction once initiated prorogates fairly rapidly throughout a significant > amount of material before being quenched. There is no need for an > instantaneous energy release, but instead it needs to be fast enough to > result in metal melting or vaporization that is sufficient to expel > material. The hydrogen loading could come into play by being subject to > a threshold amount that does not allow adequate heat generation and > propagation unless satisfied. > I suggest that a trigger mechanism in the form of cosmic rays is available > which can initiate a limited number of fusion reactions. The question is > whether or not these reactions can propagate within the material to > generate a substantial effect. Do we observe hot spots of activity > occurring within the nickel that can pinpoint any such behavior? > Dave >
