Speaking of 2nd Law Violators - and possibly in the context of
using a closed-cycle water-splitting and recombination scheme -
i.e. electrochemistry+plus, a fellow named Michael Johnson
proposed the following:
http://www.geocities.com/mj_17870/test.html
which he apparently never tried to construct. It is not an
original idea and probably would have violated the 2nd law if it
works in the naive form ... but that is unlikely (without help
from some other energy source, in addition to ambient heat).
Early in the days of electrolytic cold fusion - a nearly identical
closed circuit scheme was suggested by many observers, using a
proton membrane (ordinary Gore-tex works for this) covering the
top of a special CF cell to separate hydrogen (D2) from the mixed
effluent, and then to port the separated gases directly to an
adjoining fuel-cell (as above), with the reconstituted water being
returned in a closed circuit. The hope being that the FC would
provide all the current needed by the CF cell - i.e. self-power.
I would be surprised if someone did not try that years ago, but
they must have never gotten it to self-power as it seems not to
have been written-up as such - and it would have made a pretty big
splash in the golden-pond of mainstream tranquility. And of
course, a similar type of thing, only using a modified "Thermacore
cell" along with putative hydrino formation, 'could have been' an
early validation for that particular technology - but apparently
was never pulled off successfully, even though the well-documented
excess heat from that cell was substantial. For this to work - one
needs a source of ionization to split more water than the
electrical current can do, and mere excess heat is not going to
provide that.
The next step is pretty clear in theory: radiolysis +
electrolysis. A few U and Th compounds are water-soluble: nitrates
and sulfates, and one wonders if there is any kind of synergy
there with Pd-electrochemistry which would allow not just a
continuous closed cycle, but perhaps with some overage to cheaply
power your average whatever (nuclear sub?).
OK. Now we return to SPAWARS ... and the palladium chloride cell,
which is already producing lots of nuclear reactions, but at a
rate which is not going to power even a mini torpedo just yet. One
suspects that this PdCl cell is not necessarily incompatible with
a water soluble radioactive species being added, and in general -
that would most definitely seem to be a possible synergetic
arrangement for substantial water-splitting.
Anyway, enjoy the SPAWARS project while you may :-( because
soon, when it all of a sudden it goes "black" and it probably
will, as the repercussions of that work are becoming too obvious,
then one can assume that someone there has combined heavy water,
PdCl and uranyl nitrate (or equivalent water soluble alpha
emitter) and has hooked up a recycling arrangement with a fuel
cell to give that self-powered cell. Or are convinced from spying
on Vo that it is possible. That is the magic step forward -
self-power. Certainly not a 2nd Law violator, but an alternative
to a dangerous and expensive fission reactor.
From there on - it is only a matter of time before the Navy can
cut megabucks off the price tag of a nuclear powered sub. And why
else would they be willing to minibuck mainstream-science and
sponsor this controversial work -- if there were not that small
one-in-a-million chance that this technology could supplant
fission? ...and, yes, that is why the Navy, instead of the Army or
Air Force is doing it: they are the only military service which
actually depends on fission - as a core (p-i)-technology. And like
the Russians, we probably have some major "skeletons in the
closet" in that regard.
Hey --- If we kibitzers on Vortex could spot that basic
implementation path for LENR and do it years ago - then the
high-powered Pentagon think-tanks have probably just now begun to
catch-up. I would say a ten-year lag is the expected price of
homage to the mainstream <G>
Jones
