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According to available and in part contradictory information from inventors Focardi and Rossi, the small reactor allegedly enables exothermal fusion. They claim they managed to "produce" 130 kW thermal energy in an extreme case, and needed just 80 to 1,250 Watts to "pre-heat" respectively to operate the electronic control system.
According to available and in part contradictory information from inventors Focardi and Rossi, the small reactor allegedly enables exothermal fusion. They claim they managed to "produce" 130 kW thermal energy in an extreme case, and needed just 80 to 1,250 Watts to "pre-heat" respectively to operate the electronic control system.
The process - disclosed only partially, although a patent application was filed (not approved as of April 2011) - involves that nickel and hydrogen are transformed to copper in the presence of hydrogen gas and an unknown catalyzer under emission of heat and ionized radiation. The fusion process is said to happen in a stainless steel reactor vessel which is placed inside of a copper pipe. Cooling water flows between the copper pipe and the steel reactor vessel. The patent application claims the stable nickel isotope 62Ni28 (which makes about 3.6% of usual nickel) reacted with hydrogen and was transformed into the stable copper isotope 62Cu29. Rossi claims in his blog that he uses nickel isotope enrichment to enrich it with the desired nickel isotopes. The costs are said to be just 10% of the overall costs for nickel powder. Actual isotope enrichment is a very expensive process. Rossi, on the other hand, specified the costs for six months of operation as only a few euros(see below). The copper thus generated is said to contain two stable copper isotopes, with an isotope proportion different from the one in natural copper.<ref>According to S. Focardi in an E-Mail: ''[...] mostra l'esistenza di Cu (non presente inizialmente) i cui due isotopi stabili sono in un rapporto diverso da quello naturale [...]''</ref> An independent analysis in Sweden did not find an isotope ratio different from the natural one. Such a fusion would require very high temperatures and should result in a strong gamma radiation from the destruction of positrons and electrons.<ref>According to Prof. Jonghwa Chang, Chief Research Advisor of the "Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute", answer to an inquiry by an Italian chemist. see: [http://www.queryonline.it/2011/01/31/il-ritorno-della-fusione-fredda-2/]</ref>
The process - disclosed only partially, although a patent application was filed (not approved as of April 2011) - involves that nickel and hydrogen are transformed to copper in the presence of hydrogen gas and an unknown catalyzer under emission of heat and ionizing radiation. The fusion process is said to happen in a stainless steel reactor vessel which is placed inside of a copper pipe. Cooling water flows between the copper pipe and the steel reactor vessel. The patent application claims the stable nickel isotope 62Ni28 (which makes about 3.6% of usual nickel) reacted with hydrogen and was transformed into the stable copper isotope 62Cu29. Rossi claims in his blog that he uses nickel isotope enrichment to enrich it with the desired nickel isotopes. The costs are said to be just 10% of the overall costs for nickel powder. Actual isotope enrichment is a very expensive process. Rossi, on the other hand, specified the costs for six months of operation as only a few euros(see below). The copper thus generated is said to contain two stable copper isotopes, with an isotope proportion different from the one in natural copper.<ref>According to S. Focardi in an E-Mail: ''[...] mostra l'esistenza di Cu (non presente inizialmente) i cui due isotopi stabili sono in un rapporto diverso da quello naturale [...]''</ref> An independent analysis in Sweden did not find an isotope ratio different from the natural one. Such a fusion would require very high temperatures and should result in a strong gamma radiation from the destruction of positrons and electrons.<ref>According to Prof. Jonghwa Chang, Chief Research Advisor of the "Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute", answer to an inquiry by an Italian chemist. see: [http://www.queryonline.it/2011/01/31/il-ritorno-della-fusione-fredda-2/]</ref>
While initially using nickel rods, recent experiments used nickel powder (particle size is said to be in the nm-range, the patent application mentions 10 µm). Rossi mentions "Gerli Metalli" company<ref>Powder nickel: Gerli Metalli--Milan</ref> from Milan as their supplier. Further unknown catalysts, not specified even in the patent application are said to be employed. Nickel oxide - which reacts with hydrogen creating water and heat (NiO2 + H2 --> Ni + H20) – allegedly was not used. According to the patent application a inner water circuit(with a boric acid solution) is designed to be in the reactor and heat is transferred using a heat exchanger to an external water circuit.
While initially using nickel rods, recent experiments used nickel powder (particle size is said to be in the nm-range, the patent application mentions 10 µm). Rossi mentions "Gerli Metalli" company<ref>Powder nickel: Gerli Metalli--Milan</ref> from Milan as their supplier. Further unknown catalysts, not specified even in the patent application are said to be employed. Nickel oxide - which reacts with hydrogen creating water and heat (NiO2 + H2 --> Ni + H20) – allegedly was not used. According to the patent application a inner water circuit(with a boric acid solution) is designed to be in the reactor and heat is transferred using a heat exchanger to an external water circuit.