A few years ago I did some interesting experiments with a plasma discharge
system send to me by Eugene Mallove.
This system was equiped with a reaction vessel connected with a long
vertical tube . The evaporated gasses could be condensed and where collected
in a second vessel.I used a K2CO3 solution as a electrolyte.
First I did experiments with carbon electrodes but later I used Tungsten as
cathode. I noticed that when a strong glow discharge developed ,a strong EM
signal disturbed my neutroncount readings ,which is in accordance with the
results in the Cirillo paper. Because I was interested in transmutations, I
used radioactive 201 Thallium ( chemically like K) and measured the counts
before and after the plasma discharge. ( activity was 1 MBq)
First I send a mild current through the electrodes and the 201Thallium was
deposited on the cathode. After I raised the voltage and the plasma
discharge developed, I saw a drop in gamma emission measured from the
outside of the reactionvessel. Later I noticed that the 201Tl was removed
from the kathode and could be found in debris on the bottom of the cell.The
change in geometry had produced the measured drop in gamma emission! After
correction for the change in geometry I could not find a significant change
in activity before and after the plasma discharge.
It was very interesting to see that during evaporation a significant amount
( 25%) of the radioactive Thallium could be found in the second vessel,
where you only would expect destillated water. So I suspect that during
violent boiling of the electrolyte a significant amount of small dropplets
liquid water ( with radioactive Tl ) was transported through the condensor
into the second vessel. This could lead to a significant overestimation of
the produced heat by about 25 %.
This effect must i.m.o be taken in account before one can conclude that
there is excess heat produced.
Peter van Noorden
nuclear medicine department
the Netherlands
