Bob, we seem to be saying the same thing in different ways. However, the thermal mass suggestion was made to Rossi in 2011 – over and over again - down to a recommendation for a low-volatility heat transfer fluid and storage unit, using one of the new replacements for PCBs like "diphenyl ether" - the new "Therminol" or an equivalent, which are the current choices for solar trough units.
Of course, Rossi may not have tried this suggestion for unknown reasons –
but since it is obvious, not expensive, and suggested by almost everyone to
him (including Ampenergo) - yet it never showed up in a demo – the lack of
the obvious solution may indicate that thermal mass recycling (alone) is not
sufficient to maintain the goldilocks mode.
From: Bob Higgins
I think it is much more likely that Rossi's reaction is
positive feedback when operating, is chaotic in nature (discontinuous), and
requires a temperature threshold for the reaction to work.
First, positive feedback - when the temperature is higher
the reaction rate is higher, causing the temperature to go higher. The gain
is infinite.
Second, chaotic: the reaction may go to completion in an NAE
and then stop altogether. This causes reduced heat and the temperature
drops. At an uncertain random time another NAE or set of NAE may begin
operation producing heat.
Third, temperature threshold: Below a certain temperature
threshold, the reaction rate falls rapidly to none. Due to the chaotic
nature of the rate, the temperature can briefly fall below this threshold
and if energy is not input from the control, then the reaction stops
altogether.
Rossi maintains his reactor at the threshold of thermal
runaway. At this threshold, the reaction is stopping at random, gets a heat
input from his control to cross the temperature threshold, and the reaction
starts at other NAE. If it ever gets too hot (too little heat was taken
out), the reaction runs away and melts down.
I think if Rossi had a large thermal mass kept slightly
above the threshold, he would be able to control the system solely by
throttling the heat being withdrawn from the large thermal mass. Doing this
he would be able to reach large COPs since the throttling control of the
heat exchanger requires much less power than directly heating his eCat
(which for the HotCat has a fairly constant thermal heat withdrawal rate
near the operating temperature). In effect, the large heat sink would
average over the chaotic drops and rises in temperature.
Bob
This may be of interest to Dave - in modeling Rossi's
thermodynamics
https://www.thermalfluidscentral.org/journals/index.php/Heat_Mass_Transfer/a
rticle/view/69/145
There is a conceptual roadblock with understanding the E-Cat
related to the
subject of thermal gain - contrasted with the need for
continuing thermal
input.
In simple terms, the argument is this: if there is real
thermal gain in the
reaction (P-out > P-in) then why is continuing input of
energy required? Why
not simple recycle some of the gain, especially if the gain
is strong such
as if it was at COP=6 ?
There are several partial answers to this question. One of
them involves
keeping positive feedback to a far lower level than optimum
(for net gain)
to avoid the possibility of runaway. Another is based on
models of thermal
inertial. Another is based on the fact that the real COP of
Ni-H in general
may be limited to a lower number than most of us hope is
possible.
A third answer, or really a clarification of thermal
inertial would be seen
in Fig 2 on page 4 of the above cited article, where two
models are seen
side by side. If we also add a requirement for a threshold
thermal plateau
for the Rossi reaction to happen, which includes a narrow
plateau (more like
a ridge) where negative feedback turns to positive, then we
can see that the
second model makes it important to maintain an outside
input, since there is
no inherent smoothness in the curve, and once a peak has
been reached the
downslope can be abrupt .
Which is another way of saying that thermal inertia is not a
smooth curve at
an important scale, and thus natural conductivity and heat
transfer
characteristics may not be adequate to maintain a positive
feedback plateau,
at least not without an outside source of heat.
This may not be a clear verbalization of the thermodynamics,
and perhaps
someone can word it more clearly - but it explains the need
for the
"goldilocks" or 3-bear mode of reaction control for E-Cat.
(not too hot and
not too cold)
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