Bob,
The ultradense species could be too problematic to manufacture in situ especially in an automobile where weight is a concern. And really, if the chemical energy is high, there is no need to look beyond it. Apparently the rate of production is low in terms of mass of IRH per unit of catalyst per unit of time. This is basically 2D chemistry. For instance, if one ton of catalyst produces 10 grams of IRH per hour – this is not going to work for onboard automotive uses - but could still be economically made in a factory, since the catalyst is cheap – basically glorified iron ore. BTW – isn’t it true that Rossi has admitted that his fuel must be “prepared” ahead of time, which could mean that he too is densifying hydrogen, prior to loading? He may not realize it, but in the process of treating his nickel, AR could be loading it with IRH. Anyway - here is a slight variation on what you are suggesting. If Holmlid is correct on the 10x chemical energy of the species, it probably makes more sense to manufacture it in a dedicated facility, and convert the ICE to burn it as if it was hydrogen – even mixing it with hydrogen, so it ignites easier. One big (HUGE) difference of Holmlid from Mills’ concept is that the excess energy is not seen when the species is made (Mills’ claim) – but is seen when the condensed hydrogen is reinflated back to hydrogen (or reacted in a nuclear reaction). Even if far more energy is available in a nuclear pathway, that could be too complicated and unreliable for the highway, and especially if there are accumulated transmutation products. When everything is considered, it might be more cost effective to provide the simple and more robust chemical energy of IRH only. Because the chemical binding energy of IRH is about 50 eV according to Holmlid, it would be hard to ignite but could be mixed with H2 for that purpose. From: Bob Higgins It would be interesting to consider, the use of a Holmlid condensation of hydrogen in conjunction with a mechanical engine. Suppose we had initially an empty piston and cylinder with the piston at top dead center and having a surface designed to support a Holmlid dense hydrogen film. The intake port opens and the port has a Holmlid catalyst. As the piston falls, hydrogen is drawn through the intake port and through the hydrogen catalyst to draw hydrogen prepared to form an ultra-dense layer into the cylinder. The ultra-dense hydrogen layer forms on the piston top while it cycles down and back up. As the piston reaches TDC, an electrical discharge occurs causing the condensate to fail and be released as H1 and H2 gas - at a much larger volume. The sudden high pressure forces the piston down and the the flywheel keeps it headed back up. The exhaust port opens up and the H2 gas is pushed out easily (perhaps into a reservoir). At TDC, the exhaust port closes and the intake port opens to admit more catalyzed hydrogen to form a new ultra-dense hydrogen layer on the piston. The cycle is making the ultra-dense hydrogen layer and then triggering its expansion into ordinary hydrogen gas - a huge expansion. Bob Higgins
