Energy Catalyzer
Encyclopedia
The Energy Catalyzer is a supposed cold fusion
or Low-Energy Nuclear Reaction (LENR) heat source built by inventor Andrea Rossi
, with support from physicist Sergio Focardi
. An Italian patent, which was approved on April 6, 2011, describes the apparatus as a "process and equipment to obtain exothermal reactions, in particular from nickel and hydrogen".
The device allegedly works by infusing heated hydrogen
into nickel
, transmuting it into copper
and producing heat. An international patent application has received an unfavorable international preliminary report on patentability because it seemed to "offend against the generally accepted laws of physics and established theories" and to overcome this problem the application should have contained either experimental evidence or a firm theoretical basis in current scientific theories.
The device was demonstrated to an invited audience several times, and has been commented on by various academics and others. On October 28, 2011, Rossi claimed that he had completed a successful 5.5 hour test of a self-sustaining heat generator that produced 470 kW, and that he had made a sale to an undisclosed customer. However, the independent observers of the test were not allowed to make their own measurements nor closely scrutinize the company's procedures. Mark Gibbs of Forbes
commented: "until a verifiably objective analysis is conducted by an independent third party that confirms the results match the claims there’s no real news".
physics professor Giuseppe Levi.
The University of Bologna explicitly states that they have not been involved in the demonstrations and none of the experiments were at the university. University of Bologna researchers have attended some E-Cat experiments but only as observers. The University will begin experiments on the E-Cat as soon as the contract signed with EFA Srl (Andrea Rossi's Italian company) is put into effect. On November 23, 2011, the Corriere della Sera
reported on its Bologna edition that the University's contract with Rossi is expected to start "within a few weeks", and that the results of the research would be published in scientific journals, possibly "by summer [2012]".
As Ny Teknik reports, Peter Ekström, lecturer at the Department of Nuclear Physics at Lund University in Sweden, concluded in May 2011, "I am convinced that the whole story is one big scam, and that it will be revealed in less than one year." He cites the unlikelihood of a chemical reaction being strong enough to overcome the Coulomb barrier
, the lack of gamma rays, the lack of explanation for the origin of the extra energy, the lack of the expected radioactivity after fusing a proton with 58Ni, the unexplained occurrence of 11% iron in the spent fuel, the 10% copper in the spent fuel strangely having the same isotopic ratios as natural copper, and the lack of any unstable copper isotope in the spent fuel as if the reactor only produced stable isotopes. Kjell Aleklett, physics professor at Uppsala University
, said the percentage of copper was too high for any known reaction of nickel, and the copper had the same isotopic ratio as natural copper. He also stated, "Known chemical reactions cannot explain the amount of energy measured. A nuclear reaction can explain the amount of energy, but the knowledge we have today says that this reaction cannot take place."
Hanno Essén, associate professor of theoretical physics, and Sven Kullander, chairman of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences' Energy Committee, wrote in a report about the device "Since we do not have access to the internal design of the central fuel container and no information on the external lead shielding and the cooling water system we can only make very general comments." and "Any chemical process for producing 25 kWh from any fuel in a 50 cm3 container can be ruled out.".
Dennis M. Bushnell
, Chief Scientist at NASA
Langley Research Center
, described LENR as a "promising" technology and praised the work of Rossi and Focardi.
According to PhysOrg (August 11, 2011), the demonstrations held from January to April 2011 had several flaws that make them lose credibility and Rossi had refused to perform several tests that could verify his claims.
Roland Pettersson, retired Associate Professor from Uppsala University
, who witnessed the Oct 6 demonstration said "I'm convinced that this works, but there is still room for more measurements".
Skeptic James Randi
, discussing the E-Cat in the context of previous cold fusion claims, predicts that it will eventually be revealed to not function as advertised.
Commenting an assertion made by Rossi, who said he was not ready for a full academic investigation of his technology because he doesn’t yet have full patent protection, the Dean of Science at the UML
Robert Tamarin stated: "That’s consistent with it not working, but it’s also consistent with it working very well".
from the European Patent Office
, noting that the description of the device was based on "general statements and speculations" and citing "numerous deficiencies in both the description and in the evidence provided to support its feasibility" as well as incompatibilities with current scientific theories. The patent application was published on October 15, 2009.
However, on 6 April 2011 an application was approved by the Italian Patent and Trademark Office, which issued a patent for the invention, valid only in Italy. International, European, and U.S. patent applications are still pending.
. In January and February two demonstrations were given in the presence of Levi. In March two Swedish scientists witnessed a demonstration. In April some representatives from the press were invited, and two demonstrations followed in September and October. In all of these, scientifically unverified calorimetric measurements were claimed to detect excess heat. Of the January demonstration, Discovery Channel
analyst Benjamin Radford
wrote that "If this all sounds fishy to you, it should," and that "In many ways cold fusion is similar to perpetual motion machines. The principles defy the laws of physics, but that doesn’t stop people from periodically claiming to have invented or discovered one."
In May 2011
Rossi reached an agreement with AmpEnergo, an Ohio company, to receive royalties on sales of licenses and products built on the Energy Catalyzer in the Americas
. In early October, Rossi stated that, due to contractual difficulties, the container had not been shipped to the U.S..
Rossi claims to have orders from customers in the US and Europe for thirteen more 1 MW units in addition to the undisclosed customer from the October 28 test. He offers these for sale for $2 million. The Italian popular science magazine Focus
reports that 12 additional units are to the same, undisclosed customer, and quoted Rossi: "We are building a 13 MW thermal plant, made of 13 plant such as the one you saw on October 28th: but it's a military research and I can't reveal any further detail, not the name, nor the place, nor the nationality of the customer".
Ecat.com is a website run by four Swedish entrepreneurs, two of them particle physicists. Magnus Holm, one of the physicists, in response to a question about sceptical commentary regarding the device, replied that "Until [Rossi] makes an independent test, there is obviously a small chance that it does not work. We are willing to take that risk because it’s such an amazing technology if it works". When asked what he response was to suggestions that he was "contributing to fraud", he replied "We are not engaged in any deception, and I do not think Rossi is engaged in any fraud either. If it would turn out that it does not work, in spite of everything, I would think it is about self-deception".
On November 23, 2011, in the Massachusetts Statehouse, Andrea Rossi met with the minority leader of the Massachusetts Senate Bruce Tarr
and representatives from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, Northeastern University, and the University of Massachusetts
, to explore the prospects for developing and manufacturing the device in Massachusetts, USA. According to Tamarin the representatives were mostly skeptical and only examined the possibilities of carrying the manufacturing inside Massachusetts, in case the technology turns out to work.
Cold fusion
Cold fusion, also called low-energy nuclear reaction , refers to the hypothesis that nuclear fusion might explain the results of a group of experiments conducted at ordinary temperatures . Both the experimental results and the hypothesis are disputed...
or Low-Energy Nuclear Reaction (LENR) heat source built by inventor Andrea Rossi
Andrea Rossi (entrepreneur)
Andrea Rossi is an Italian inventor and entrepreneur. He is the inventor of the Energy Catalyzer a supposed cold fusion or Low-Energy Nuclear Reaction thermal power source...
, with support from physicist Sergio Focardi
Sergio Focardi
Sergio Focardi is an Italian physicist, emeritus professor at the University of Bologna.He led the Department of Bologna of the National Institute for Nuclear Physics and the Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences at the University of Bologna...
. An Italian patent, which was approved on April 6, 2011, describes the apparatus as a "process and equipment to obtain exothermal reactions, in particular from nickel and hydrogen".
The device allegedly works by infusing heated hydrogen
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
into nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
, transmuting it into copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
and producing heat. An international patent application has received an unfavorable international preliminary report on patentability because it seemed to "offend against the generally accepted laws of physics and established theories" and to overcome this problem the application should have contained either experimental evidence or a firm theoretical basis in current scientific theories.
The device was demonstrated to an invited audience several times, and has been commented on by various academics and others. On October 28, 2011, Rossi claimed that he had completed a successful 5.5 hour test of a self-sustaining heat generator that produced 470 kW, and that he had made a sale to an undisclosed customer. However, the independent observers of the test were not allowed to make their own measurements nor closely scrutinize the company's procedures. Mark Gibbs of Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
commented: "until a verifiably objective analysis is conducted by an independent third party that confirms the results match the claims there’s no real news".
Evaluation of the device
Rossi and Focardi are reported to have been unable to find a peer-reviewed scientific journal that would publish their paper describing how they claim the Energy Catalyzer operates. Their paper appears only in Rossi's self-published blog, Journal of Nuclear Physics. The device has been commented on positively by University of BolognaUniversity of Bologna
The Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
physics professor Giuseppe Levi.
The University of Bologna explicitly states that they have not been involved in the demonstrations and none of the experiments were at the university. University of Bologna researchers have attended some E-Cat experiments but only as observers. The University will begin experiments on the E-Cat as soon as the contract signed with EFA Srl (Andrea Rossi's Italian company) is put into effect. On November 23, 2011, the Corriere della Sera
Corriere della Sera
The Corriere della Sera is an Italian daily newspaper, published in Milan.It is among the oldest and most reputable Italian newspapers. Its main rivals are Rome's La Repubblica and Turin's La Stampa.- History :...
reported on its Bologna edition that the University's contract with Rossi is expected to start "within a few weeks", and that the results of the research would be published in scientific journals, possibly "by summer [2012]".
As Ny Teknik reports, Peter Ekström, lecturer at the Department of Nuclear Physics at Lund University in Sweden, concluded in May 2011, "I am convinced that the whole story is one big scam, and that it will be revealed in less than one year." He cites the unlikelihood of a chemical reaction being strong enough to overcome the Coulomb barrier
Coulomb barrier
The Coulomb barrier, named after Coulomb's law, which is named after physicist Charles-Augustin de Coulomb , is the energy barrier due to electrostatic interaction that two nuclei need to overcome so they can get close enough to undergo a nuclear reaction...
, the lack of gamma rays, the lack of explanation for the origin of the extra energy, the lack of the expected radioactivity after fusing a proton with 58Ni, the unexplained occurrence of 11% iron in the spent fuel, the 10% copper in the spent fuel strangely having the same isotopic ratios as natural copper, and the lack of any unstable copper isotope in the spent fuel as if the reactor only produced stable isotopes. Kjell Aleklett, physics professor at Uppsala University
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
, said the percentage of copper was too high for any known reaction of nickel, and the copper had the same isotopic ratio as natural copper. He also stated, "Known chemical reactions cannot explain the amount of energy measured. A nuclear reaction can explain the amount of energy, but the knowledge we have today says that this reaction cannot take place."
Hanno Essén, associate professor of theoretical physics, and Sven Kullander, chairman of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences' Energy Committee, wrote in a report about the device "Since we do not have access to the internal design of the central fuel container and no information on the external lead shielding and the cooling water system we can only make very general comments." and "Any chemical process for producing 25 kWh from any fuel in a 50 cm3 container can be ruled out.".
Dennis M. Bushnell
Dennis M. Bushnell
Dennis M. Bushnell is a NASA scientist and lecturer. As Chief Scientist at NASA Langley Research Center, he is responsible for technical oversight and advanced program formulation. His work is focused mainly on new approaches to environmental issues, in particular to climate issues. Bushnell has...
, Chief Scientist at NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Langley Research Center
Langley Research Center
Langley Research Center is the oldest of NASA's field centers, located in Hampton, Virginia, United States. It directly borders Poquoson, Virginia and Langley Air Force Base...
, described LENR as a "promising" technology and praised the work of Rossi and Focardi.
According to PhysOrg (August 11, 2011), the demonstrations held from January to April 2011 had several flaws that make them lose credibility and Rossi had refused to perform several tests that could verify his claims.
Roland Pettersson, retired Associate Professor from Uppsala University
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
, who witnessed the Oct 6 demonstration said "I'm convinced that this works, but there is still room for more measurements".
Skeptic James Randi
James Randi
James Randi is a Canadian-American stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation...
, discussing the E-Cat in the context of previous cold fusion claims, predicts that it will eventually be revealed to not function as advertised.
Commenting an assertion made by Rossi, who said he was not ready for a full academic investigation of his technology because he doesn’t yet have full patent protection, the Dean of Science at the UML
University of Massachusetts Lowell
The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system...
Robert Tamarin stated: "That’s consistent with it not working, but it’s also consistent with it working very well".
Patents
An application in 2008 to patent the device internationally had received an unfavorable preliminary report on patentability at the World Intellectual Property OrganizationWorld Intellectual Property Organization
The World Intellectual Property Organization is one of the 17 specialized agencies of the United Nations. WIPO was created in 1967 "to encourage creative activity, to promote the protection of intellectual property throughout the world"....
from the European Patent Office
European Patent Office
The European Patent Office is one of the two organs of the European Patent Organisation , the other being the Administrative Council. The EPO acts as executive body for the Organisation while the Administrative Council acts as its supervisory body as well as, to a limited extent, its legislative...
, noting that the description of the device was based on "general statements and speculations" and citing "numerous deficiencies in both the description and in the evidence provided to support its feasibility" as well as incompatibilities with current scientific theories. The patent application was published on October 15, 2009.
However, on 6 April 2011 an application was approved by the Italian Patent and Trademark Office, which issued a patent for the invention, valid only in Italy. International, European, and U.S. patent applications are still pending.
Demonstrations
The device has not been independently verified. Invited guests attended several demonstrations in BolognaBologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
. In January and February two demonstrations were given in the presence of Levi. In March two Swedish scientists witnessed a demonstration. In April some representatives from the press were invited, and two demonstrations followed in September and October. In all of these, scientifically unverified calorimetric measurements were claimed to detect excess heat. Of the January demonstration, Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
analyst Benjamin Radford
Benjamin Radford
Benjamin Radford is deputy editor of the science magazine Skeptical Inquirer, former editor-in-chief of the Spanish-language magazine Pensar, which was published in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and a columnist for Skeptical Inquirer magazine Skeptical Briefs newsletter, Discovery News, LiveScience.com...
wrote that "If this all sounds fishy to you, it should," and that "In many ways cold fusion is similar to perpetual motion machines. The principles defy the laws of physics, but that doesn’t stop people from periodically claiming to have invented or discovered one."
- January 14, 2011: The demonstration was monitored by independent scientific representatives of the University of BolognaUniversity of BolognaThe Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
, including INFN physicist Giuseppe Levi. Levi concluded that the power and energy produced was "impressive," and that the Energy Catalyzer might be working as a new type of energy source. - March 29, 2011: Two Swedish physicists, Hanno EssénHanno EssénHanno Essén, born September 27, 1948, is an associate professor of theoretical physics and a lecturer at the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology and former chairman of the Swedish Skeptics Society....
and Sven KullanderSven Kullander (physicist)Sven Kullander is a Swedish physicist. He is professor emeritus of High Energy Physics at Uppsala University.Kullander received his doctorate from Uppsala University in 1971....
participated as observers in a test of a smaller version of the Energy Catalyzer. The test ran for six hours, with claimed results of net power output of 4.4 kW, and total energy output of about 25 kWh. They were given samples of nickel powder, some unused and some that Rossi reported as used for 2.5 months. An analysis showed the unused powder was pure nickel while the used powder contained 10 percent copper and 11 percent iron, Kullander said that the presence of copper is "a proof that nuclear reactions took place in the process”. Iron production is not mentioned anywhere in the patent. In their test report, Essen and Kullander cautioned, "Since we do not have access to the internal design of the central fuel container... we can only make very general comments." In a later conversation Essén stated "I am still very uncertain about this." - April 19 and 28, 2011: Two more demonstrations were held. The first of them was also covered by the ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
24-hour all-news State-owned television channel Rai News. - September 7, 2011: Reporter Mats Lewan from Ny Teknik witnessed a further demonstration in which the Energy Catalyzer was first operated for 90 minutes with input power claimed to be around 2.6 kW after which it ran for 35 minutes with 25 W input. The Energy Catalyzer was a larger version that will be used in the scheduled 1 MW plant.
- October 6, 2011: An E-cat was demonstrated, which reportedly lasted for about eight hours. Roland Pettersson, retired Associate Professor from the University of Uppsala, who witnessed it said "I'm convinced that this works, but there is still room for more measurements".
- October 28, 2011: A 1 MW plant based on the Energy Catalyzer was reported to have been tested by engineer Domenico Fioravanti for an undisclosed customer. According to Fioravanti, the plant released 2,635 kWh during five and a half hours of self sustained mode, an average power of 479 kilowatts – just under half the promised power of one megawatt. The customer reportedly acquired the plant after the test. Independent observers were not allowed to watch the measurements or make their own, and the plant remained connected to a power supply during the test allegedly to supply power to the fans and the water pumps.
Commercial plans
Originally, a new Greek company, Defkalion, was to deliver a heating plant based on the Energy Catalyzer, but this deal was terminated. Since then Defkalion have announced that they plan to make a similar device.In May 2011
Rossi reached an agreement with AmpEnergo, an Ohio company, to receive royalties on sales of licenses and products built on the Energy Catalyzer in the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. In early October, Rossi stated that, due to contractual difficulties, the container had not been shipped to the U.S..
Rossi claims to have orders from customers in the US and Europe for thirteen more 1 MW units in addition to the undisclosed customer from the October 28 test. He offers these for sale for $2 million. The Italian popular science magazine Focus
Focus (Italian magazine)
Focus is a very popular Italian scientific magazine published by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore since 1992. It includes articles about popular science, technology, history, health and social issues.- External links :* *...
reports that 12 additional units are to the same, undisclosed customer, and quoted Rossi: "We are building a 13 MW thermal plant, made of 13 plant such as the one you saw on October 28th: but it's a military research and I can't reveal any further detail, not the name, nor the place, nor the nationality of the customer".
Ecat.com is a website run by four Swedish entrepreneurs, two of them particle physicists. Magnus Holm, one of the physicists, in response to a question about sceptical commentary regarding the device, replied that "Until [Rossi] makes an independent test, there is obviously a small chance that it does not work. We are willing to take that risk because it’s such an amazing technology if it works". When asked what he response was to suggestions that he was "contributing to fraud", he replied "We are not engaged in any deception, and I do not think Rossi is engaged in any fraud either. If it would turn out that it does not work, in spite of everything, I would think it is about self-deception".
On November 23, 2011, in the Massachusetts Statehouse, Andrea Rossi met with the minority leader of the Massachusetts Senate Bruce Tarr
Bruce Tarr
Bruce E. Tarr is the minority leader of the Massachusetts Senate. He has been a member of the Senate since 1995, representing the 1st Essex and Middlesex District. He is a member of the United States Republican Party and a former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives...
and representatives from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, Northeastern University, and the University of Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts
This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...
, to explore the prospects for developing and manufacturing the device in Massachusetts, USA. According to Tamarin the representatives were mostly skeptical and only examined the possibilities of carrying the manufacturing inside Massachusetts, in case the technology turns out to work.
External links
- Josephson, BrianBrian David JosephsonBrian David Josephson, FRS is a Welsh physicist. He became a Nobel Prize laureate in 1973 for the prediction of the eponymous Josephson effect....
and Driscoll, Judith. "Andrea Rossi's 'E-cat' nuclear reactor: a video FAQ". University of CambridgeUniversity of CambridgeThe University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, June 28, 2011. - Wolchover, Natalie. "Cold fusion debate heats up after latest demo". CBSnews.com, November 4, 2011.
- Wolchover, Natalie. "Italian cold fusion machine passes another test". msnbc.comMsnbc.commsnbc.com is a news website owned and operated as a joint venture by NBCUniversal and Microsoft.In addition to original content from its news staff, msnbc.com is the news website for the NBC News family, with content from the cable television news channel MSNBC, NBC shows such as Today, NBC Nightly...
, November 3, 2011.