Hmm… Now that you mention it…
Your friend could have gotten better results (possibly even LENR results J by using lithium with steam. Liquid lithium injected into steam instantly produces hydrogen and oxygen, which ignite – and this would be more interesting if you have an nickel-alumina nozzle – since then the interaction is not unlike the Parkhomov effect. From: Alain Sepeda a friend of mine (of my Engineering school) did a serious Steam rocket. advantage in france is that steam reactors is not regulated… it was water at critical point, in a titanium steel tank... specific impulse was pathetic but it worked.
