The testing of a proto-type 1 Megawatt nickel-hydrogen reactor today appears to be a success. The Energy Catalyzer, or E-Cat, a thermal energy device that runs on a fuel of hydrogen and hosts the reaction in a nickel powder generated 479 kilowatts of power over 5.5 hours in self-sustain mode.
Sterling Allan of Pure Energy Systems was in attendance and wrote the positive report here. He took this video of inventor Andrea A. Rossi making a statement in response to a Radio Citta del Capo reporter’s query “if the test today was a breakthrough”:
Self-sustain mode means that there is no input power to continue the reaction. In this state, when the input energy is zero, the energy-out over energy-in ratio becomes infinite. The energy was computed by measuring the difference in temperature of coolant water flowing through the reactor as it turned into steam.
Why the unit performed at 479 kilowatts and not 1 Megawatt is unclear and may be due to “a glitch”. In the late-night report released by Mr. Rossi, Domenico Fioravanti, the lead engineer testing the unit and representing the Customer, indicated the system of gaskets will need to be upgraded as there are some “leaks”. [Download .pdf report formatted by Mats Lewan here along with temperature data here.]
The decision was made earlier in the day to test the unit at a lower power in self-sustain mode, rather than the full 1 Megawatt capacity. Nevertheless, generating almost one-half megawatt of power with no input over five hours is a huge accomplishment.
According to the report, the 1 Megawatt unit is composed of 107 smaller 10 kilowatt units connected in parallel and housed in a shipping container. Each 10 kW unit comprises three 3.3 kilowatt units together in parallel.
University of Bologna’s Dr. David Bianchini detected no measurable radiation above the background level being emitted from the device.
Fascinating video by Mr. Allan shows the set-up:
In attendance along with Mr. Allan was New York Associated Press reporter Peter Svensson who had exclusive story rights through midnight, but since it will be days before his story makes it to the wire, Sterling Allan and Mats Lewan were able to release their articles this evening. NYTeknik science journalist Mats Lewan has covered the E-Cat demonstrations regularly and wrote this article here. Rounding out the media were also Focus.it.
Scientists, engineers and specialists in nuclear physics from France, Sweden, Russia, China, and Italy were also present, indicating the strong interest from around the world in this revolutionary energy technology.
The still unknown Customer for the E-Cat reactor is reportedly “happy” with the test, and ready to make the sale. Wherever the unit ends up, we are looking forward to the first commercial cold fusion energy reactor on the market, and the many more to come.
Related Links
Bologna 28 ottobre: primo resoconto del test dell’impianto da 1 MW di Andrea Rossi by Daniele Passorini 22passi Blogspot October 29, 2011
First commercial cold fusion reactor tested in Bologna by Ruby Carat October 6, 2011
This is a golden moment in history, but unfortunately historians will have to point it out after the fact, because while hindsight is 20/20, it appears a significant portion of the population (including most of our leadership) is as blind as the King of England who, on the day the Declaration of Independence was signed in the (future) continental US, wrote in his diary that nothing of importance happened that day.
How blind most people are to anything the herd doesn’t perceive and add to their narrative. This will become more of a problem as technology outpaces herd comprehension and perception.
I love Dr. Mitchell Swartz’ page: http://world.std.com/~mica/cfskeptic.html
The quotes are priceless. Will we ever learn?!
How bout this one from Lord Kelvin:
“Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.”
[Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895]
A secret fuel that no one is allowed to annualize going in, no one else is allowed to operate it, a secret buyer, a secret factory to manufacture it and no private pier review.
Lets not start counting chickens yet.
Heck, I’ve already made chicken salad!
Ruby, I’m on my way over for some of your Chicken salad!
I’ve got enough for the whole planet.
James, your post details the reasons no one is excited by this yet (in the mainstream). I really would like to drive my Mr. Cold Fusion car in a few years, but the shroud of secrecy raises big doubts as to whether any of this is for real. I’m a complete layman but the names Pons and Fleischmann are still in my memory. Still – there is something here, just as there was for the ridiculed Pons and Fleischmann. But how many decades away are we from a game changing implementation and mass production of an LENR concept?