I think are a many potential downsides to using bulk material substrates (foams, foils, wires) with nickel coatings. - you might get large and non-homogenous transient temperature changes throughout the reactor and this could lead to deformation and even breakup of large continuous scaffolds. - it prevents transport of powder throughout the reactor (which may be important for continuous operation in terms of subjecting the nickel to varying temperatures or physical impacts to create hydrogen flux through the nickel surface) - a foil type substrate may constrain or otherwise limit convective flow of hydrogen (particularly if there is thermal deformation of the substrate), allowing hot-spots to form and creating worse temperature inhomogeneities throughout the reactor. - thermal expansion and material crystalline structure phase changes caused by temperature change or hydrogen loading can lead to large dimensional mismatches and stresses between substrate and nickel - leading to the nickel coating flaking off etc, at which point why not just use powder anyway? - the processes by which you apply the nickel coating to the substrate may have limitations and so not be optimal for creating the exact chemical alloy makeup and surface topologies required for best LENR performance. - making nano-powder will almost certainly be cheaper than any plating procedure. - harder to recycle substrate with nickel coating - very easy to replace nickel powder in a reactor. - one or more of the above problems will probably impose a lower temperature limit on the process than the nickel powder would have by itself.
Hydrogen convection driven by buoyancy will likely slowly agitate and transport nickel nano-particles throughout the reactor, with radiation at high temperatures and physical contact of the blowing nickel particles with the walls also enhancing heat transfer. That does not mean nickel on a substrate won't work, but it appears to come with more potential problems, temperature limitations and higher fabrication and running costs than nickel powder, with few if any benefits that I can see. So unless you have other compelling reasons for a substrate I think you may as well just stick with the nano powder. On 25 January 2012 19:28, <mar...@krteknik.com> wrote: > Hello guys > I have a q, i have been reading all the posts about the problems with > energy transfer, core melts and so on . > Why not embed the nickel / catalyst mix in a honeycomb, or other structure > that gets easy acess for both H2 and > heat trasnfer to the walls of the tube ? > > Is there any practical method of doing this? > I have thought about covering steel or other material with nickel as so > many other people, but in my mind that decrease the surface > too much, a fungi or honeycomb like structure would maybe work, but how to > make one ? > > Any ideas ? > > > Marten > >
