Cold Fusion at SRIAn 18 Year Retrospective

(and brief Prospective)

Michael McKubre

Director of the Energy Research Center

Principal Staff Scientist in the

Materials Research Laboratory

SRI International, Menlo Park, California.

Presented at the APS meeting, Denver CO, March 5, 2007.

1989A Series of Unanswered Questions

Q1 Is there unexplained heat?

Q2 Is the heat output sensibly correlated with inputs?

Q3 Is the heat derived from a nuclear process?

Q4 Nuclear ash correlated with the excess heat?

Q5 Are their other nuclear effects?

Q6 What is the nuclear process?

Q7 What is the future?

1992Q1 Unexplained heat source? YES!!!

• Effect Evidenced on numerous occasions (>70 at SRI)

• Typical Pxs 3 - 30% (±0.5%) of Total Pin (340%)

• Up to 90 observation of excess power effect

• Duration several hours to 1 week

• Sustained, unidirectional heat burst exhibit an integratedenergy at least 100 times greater than conceivable energystorage effects

• Heat production observed for over half the operationtime of one cell (C1).

• Similar heat production observed using 4 differentcalorimetric methods.

1995Q2 Sensibly correlated with inputs? YES!!!

• Necessary conditions:Maintain High Average D/Pd Ratio (Loading )For times >> 20-50 x D/D (Initiation)At electrolytic i >250-500mA cm-2 (Activation)With an imposed D Flux (Disequilibrium)

• Heat correlated with:- electrochemical current or current density- D/Pd loading- Vref. surface potential

- Pd metallurgy

- Laser stimulus

• For 1mm dia. Pd wire cathodes:

Pxs = M (x-x°)2 (i-i°) |iD|x°~0.875, i°=50-400mA cm-2, iD=1-10 mA cm-2,t°>200 D/D

SRI QuartzCalorimeter

andDegree ofLoading(DoL)Cell

Quartz Anode

Cage

PTFE Spray

Separator Cone

Recombination

Catalyst in Pt

Wire Basket

Gas Tube

Containing

Catheter

PTFE Cap

PTFE Base

Pt Wire Anode

Catalyst RTD

PTFE Top

Plate

Hermetic 10-

pin Connector

Stainless Steel

Outer Casing

PTFE Liner

Quartz

Liner

Gasket Screws

Pd Cathode

Electrolyte

SRILabyrinth(L and M)

Calorimeterand Cell

Brass HeaterSupport and Fins

Water Outlet ContainingVenturi Mixing Tubeand Outlet RTD's

Acrylic Flow Separator

Stainless Steel Dewar

Heater

Locating Pin

Acrylic flow restrictor

Gas Tube Exit toGas-handling

Manifold

Acrylic Top-piece

Water In

Water Out

Hermetic 16-pinConnector

Gasket

Quartz Anode Cage

PTFE Ring

PTFE Ring

PTFE Spray SeparatorCone

Recombination Catalystin Pt Wire Basket

Pt Wire Anode

Catalyst RTD

PTFE Plate

Hermetic 10-pinConnector

Stainless SteelOuter Casing

PTFE Liner

Quartz Cell Body

Gasket

Screws

Pd Cathode

Stand

InletRTD's

P13/14 Simultaneous Series Operation ofLight & Heavy Water Cells;

Excess Power & Current Density vs. Time

-0.1

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

430 454 478 502 526 550 574 598 622

I (A/cm^2) Pxs D2O (W) Pxs H2O (W)

DD22OO

P13/14 Simultaneous Series Operation ofLight & Heavy Water Cells;

Excess Power vs. Current Density

-0.1

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6

Electrochemical Current Density (A/cm 2)

P14/D2O Linear P13/H2O

I or iI or i

C1: Excess Power vs. D/PdMcKubre et al (similar to Kunimatsu et al) ICCF3, Nagoya.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

0.88 0.89 0.90 0.91 0.92 0.93 0.94 0.95 0.96 0.97 0.98

Atomic ratio (D/Pd)

C1 Parabolic 0.875 555

D/PdD/Pd

Excess Power vs. Maximum Loading (1)

P12, 20

P19

P17

P1

1

1.1

1.2

1.3

1.4

1.5

1.6

1.7

1.8

1.9

2

0.7 0.75 0.8 0.85 0.9 0.95 1 1.05 1.1

Figure 1 Maximum loading, D/Pd, attained in experiment; determined by R/R°.

R/R°

P4, L11

C2, P14, P21

C1, P2, L3

P3, P5, P6, L4,

Max. ~2.0 @ D/Pd~0.725

(9,17 15

P8 - P11

6)

P22

P16

P15

T1-2,OHF1-3

T3-4

(No heat, Heat)

L1, 2, 7, 10

2

AS1.1

AS1.3

AS2

L12

Baranowski

xxMaxMax49 Experiments 198949 Experiments 1989 -- 19941994

Excess Power vs. Maximum Loading (2) xxMaxMax

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

0.8 0.82 0.84 0.86 0.88 0.9 0.92 0.94 0.96 0.98 1 1.02 More

Maximumum loading [D/Pd].

Heat Present Work SRI ENEA Heat previous work No Heat

70 Experiments70 Experiments19891989 -- 20062006

1994-1998Q3 Is the heat of nuclear origin? Yes!

• 100’s to 1000’s of eV’s / Pd (D) atom SRI 2080 eV/Pd,Energetics >4000 eV/Pd

• Sustained, unidirectional heat burst exhibit an integrated energyat least 10 times greater than the sum of all possible chemicalreactions within a closed cell

• Heat effects are observed with D, but not H, under similar(or more extreme) conditions

McKubre et al, “Development of Advanced Concepts…”, EPRI, TR-104195 (1994)

2000Q4 Nuclear ash correlated with the excess heat? Yes!

Q5 Uncorrelated nuclear products? Yes!

Compelling Evidence:• 4He closely time and quantity correlated withexcess heat• 3H observed in some cases only. Not quantitycorrelated with excess heat ( ~ 3 - 4 O.M. down)

• Isotopics effects possibly at very low level• Charged particles: , p+ possibly at even lowerlevel• Neutrons not observed at SRI (although I believe they

can be found using more sensitive detectors at ~10 or more O.M.down from heat)

2000Q4 Nuclear ash correlated with the excess heat? Yes!

Q5 Uncorrelated nuclear products? Yes!

Experiments:• 2π, real time, “in situ” X-ray detector(Lockheed)• Gamma and X-ray spectrometer (Wolf)• Neutron spectrometer (Wolf & Lockheed)• Charged particles: , p+ (MIT)• Residual isotopics effects (SRI & other)• Tritium (SRI & Clarke)• Helium: 3He and 4He (Amarillo, PNNL & Clarke)

Results:• Correlated heat and 4He.• Unequivocal evidence of Tritium production.

McKubre et al, “Emergence of a coherent explanation…”, Proc. ICCF8, Lerici (2000)

M4: Excess Energy - 4He Correlation[Closed, He-leak tight, Mass-Flow Calorimeter, Accuracy ±0.35%]

-1

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

460 480 500 520 540 560 580 600 620 640 660 680 700

Time (hours)0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

Ele

ctro

chem

ical

Cu

rren

tD

ensi

ty(A

cm-2)

Measured Values

Predicted Values

Current

Pxs = M (x - x°) 2 (i - i°) Žx/Žtx°=.833, i°=.425, r=0.853 73%

Burst 1Burst 2

M4: Correlation of Heat with Helium

1.556±.007

0.34±.007

1.661±.007

2.077±.01

62±5%

69±7%

104±10%

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500

Time (hours)

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

[4He] % of 24MeV

<-Extended period of thermal and compositional cycling->

104104±±10%10%

Case cell Studies:H2 and D2 Gas

with Pd/C Catalyst

Vessel 1 Vessel 2

HelicallyWoundHeating

Elements

SolidInsulation

1 LiterStainless

Steel Dewars

ThermowellContainingGas PhaseandSolid PhaseThermocoupleSensors

Catalyst

To MassSpectrometer

Nupro50cc316SSSampleFlask

Nupro50cc

316SSSample

Flask

To Digital Pressure Guage

PressureTransducer

SampleVolume

Calibration Mixtures

5 20 200 ppm

Extrel C-50QMS

SampleVacuum

Vacuum/PressureGauge

4% He4% D2ln Ar

Tune-upMixture

Carbon Trap(LN2 cooled)

Helium in Deuterium

Case: 4He vs. time

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45Time (Days)

4He in Room Air at STP

SC1

SC2

SC3.1

SC3.2

SC4.1

SC4.2

Case: “Q”-Value - Energy vs. 4He

y = 18.36x

R2 = 0.99

y = 18.89x

R2 = 0.95

0

50

100

150

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8Helium Increase (ppmV/V)

Gradient

Differential

Gradient Q = 31±13 MeV/atom

Differential Q = 32±13MeV/atom

Production ofTritium in a

Sealed Pd cavity

Electrolysis

D2O

OD-PdBlack

e-Beam Weld

Arata/Zhang “DS” Cathode:6cm long, 14mm dia., 3.5mm wall

PdBulk

D

0.3M LiOD

AZ1 0.3M LiOD,AZ2 0.3M LiOH

Cathodic Current 5 - 7.5ACurrent Density 170-255mA cm-2

Pin 50-317 W, Duration 120 Days

Pxs,Max = 10 ±1.5%,Pxs = 0 ±1.5%,

Deloaded:open circuit and at 2V Anodic

for a further 100 Days.

AZ1&2 0.3M LiOH & LiOD with Arata/Zhang “Double

Structured” Cathode Largest SRI Total Pxs (and Tritium Generation)

Effects of Light and Heavy water electrolysis

y = 0.0001x ±1.3W

-2

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

0 50 100 150 200 250 300Input Power (W)

Ex

cess

Po

wer

(W)

-2%

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

Pxs H2O Pxs D2O fit %XS %XS Linear (Pxs H2O)

Pxs/Pin and UncertaintyMax. = 9.9 ± 1.5%

AZ1: Radial Distribution of 3He (and 3H)

0

1

2

3

4

5

0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7

Radial Position (cm)

3He Million Atoms/mg

D2O

OD-

PdBlack

e-Beam Weld

Arata/Zhang “DS” Cathode:6cm long, 14mm dia.,3.5mm wall

PdBulk

D

Electrolyte0.3M LiOD

Section

1

76

54

3

2

6

5

4

3

2

1

7

• Primary product 4He with ~24 MeV/4He

• Relevant theory under construction:Hagelstein, Chubb2, Preparata, etc.

PresentQ6 What is the nuclear process?

• Research consortia:e.g. SRI/MIT/NRL/ENEA/Energetics

• Technical development:> 10 x Heat Out / Power InPositive Temperature Coefficient?Time for Engineering?

FutureQ7 What is next?

Dardik - ENERGETICS

• Complex non-dc electrical perturbation results in:Increased Cathode absorption of H and DEnhanced Stimulation of Excess Heat Effects

• Glow Discharge Mass Flow Calorimeter: 600W/cm3,POut/PIn > 3.7, EOut/EIn > 6.7, >1000 eV/ Pd Atom.

• FP Electrolysis: PXS >1kW/cm3, POut/PIn > 50,EOut/EIn > 30, EXS > 1.1MJ ~3690 eV/ Pd Atom.

• DARPA - Energetics - SRI - ENEA - NRL - MITReplication effort established August 2005.

Energetics - SuperWaves

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 10000

One Two Three Four Sum

Dardik - ENERGETICS - Results: PXS

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24

Time (hours)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

PO

ut/P

In

Pin Pout COPE

EEOutOut = 1.14 MJ= 1.14 MJ

EEOutOut // EEInIn = 25= 25

EEInIn = 40 kJ= 40 kJ