friends, this is just an idea I want to put into discussion.
The background is, that although LENR maybe proven, there is a gap between theory and experiment. Apart from the experiment-setup itself, we have the diagnostic tools. Which are a) in-process: a1) nuclear particle detection a2) He_x detection a3) calorimetry b) after process: b1) microscopic surface analysis of the reactant b2) analysis of possible transmutations, nanospire/LeClair maybe an extreme case. I see some difficulties in (a), although those give us realtime insight: (a1): important, but maybe mainly absent (a2): important, but difficult to detect, and often shifted to after-process analysis. (a3): difficult with small reactors, hence highly disputed. So my idea: i1) Use a 'dry' process, i.e. no fluids over the reactant. Fluids blur the process and make it difficult to observe, and force using debatable calorimetry. i2) make the reactant flat mm2's up to cm2's i3) observe the reactant via Thermal imaging. T.I. is sensitive enough to monitor the surface with 10um2 pixel size. See e.g. thermal imaging of power semiconductors, which every manufacturer does on a routine basis. What would be the advantage? Well. Hopefully evident. --real-time monitoring of heat-production, orders of magnitude better than calorimetry. --spatial resolution (eg gradual variations of material properties and their response could be monitored) --after-process analysis via SEM or other methods would profit from this real-time-identification of hot spots, And hot spots there are, I'm quite convinced. This is NOT a process, homogenous across the reactant. This ofcourse does not make the hopefuls happy, who wish their e-cat could be purchased next month. But would narrow the gap between theory and experimental evidence/practice. And we need that! There is enough worry out there, that this is a potentially dangerous process to require, that the theory-practice-gap should be closed. Relying on say Rossi's statements or what some administrative branch says about safety, does not make me feel comfortable. What do You think? Guenter
