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| Science & Technology |
| Navy Heats Up Cold Fusion Hopes |
| 2007-05-06 |
| New proof that cold fusion works could fuel additional interest in generating power from low energy nuclear reactions Cold fusion, the ability to generate nuclear power at room temperatures, has proven to be a highly elusive feat. In fact, it is considered by many experts to be a mere pipe dream -- a potentially unlimited source of clean energy that remains tantalizing, but so far unattainable. However, a recently published academic paper from the Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (Spawar) in San Diego throws cold water on skeptics of cold fusion. Appearing in the respected journal Naturwissenschaften, which counts Albert Einstein among its distinguished authors, the article claims that Spawar scientists Stanislaw Szpak and Pamela Mosier-Boss have achieved a low energy nuclear reaction (LERN) that can be replicated and verified by the scientific community. Cold fusion has gotten the cold shoulder from serious nuclear physicists since 1989, when Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann were unable to substantiate their sensational claims that deuterium nuclei could be forced to fuse and release excess energy at room temperature. Spawar researchers apparently kept the faith, however, and continued to refine the procedure by experimenting with new fusionable materials. Szpak and Boss now claim to have succeeded at last by coating a thin wire with palladium and deuterium, then subjected it to magnetic and electric fields. The researchers have offered plastic films called CR-39 detectors as evidence that charged particles have emerging from their reaction experiments. The Spawar method shows promise, particularly in terms of being easily reproduced and verified by other institutions. Such verification is essential to widespread acceptance of the apparent breakthrough, an important precursor to scientists receiving the necessary funding to fuel additional research in the field. |
| Posted by:phil_b |
| #8 It was discovered that the mantis shrimp can create a tiny cavitation bubble to attack its prey, with as much as 1,500 Newtons force and several thousand degrees Kelvin temperature, for example. Similar micro-cavitation has been found to be responsible for gouging out minute nicks in submarine and ship propeller edges. This increases their drag and noisiness, bad for both but especially so for submarines. I hear there's a boatload of the stuff up there. Rumor has it that H3 deposits have the Chinese all het up to go lunar. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-05-06 23:26 |
| #7 Me too, AP. I hear there's a boatload of the stuff up there. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2007-05-06 19:50 |
| #6 Sol, the largest fusion producer for 4.3 light years, is said to be looking into the prospective new technology in order to relieve the solar-system wide global warming problem. |
| Posted by: Perfesser 2007-05-06 12:00 |
| #5 Ima waitn for He3 from the moon. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2007-05-06 11:47 |
| #4 Step right up Gents, got your Cold Fusion futures right here $1200 the dozen, comes with it's own Carbon Credit. If that's too steep for you I still got a couple of Phish Carbureators, yep, that's right 200 miles per the gallon. Only 12 left, my minion found them on the last southbouth LA streetcar. Come on folks, it's real! |
| Posted by: Shipman 2007-05-06 10:21 |
| #3 Actually, at a very small level, they may be right. It is very easy to create extremely high temperature and pressure over a tiny area, naturally. It was discovered that the mantis shrimp can create a tiny cavitation bubble to attack its prey, with as much as 1,500 Newtons force and several thousand degrees Kelvin temperature, for example. (Discovered by the Office of Naval Research, a cousin to SPAWAR). If you could make such a powerful, or even more powerful event at an even smaller level, it might be enough to force a fusion event, releasing enough energy to be detectable. While I doubt this could be used to produce a large quantity of energy, it could still be useful in producing a small amount of energy for a small system, like a micro-battery. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-05-06 10:19 |
| #2 And we all know Halliburton is itching to get its hands on rich dilithium deposits which were a gift from Allan to the Klingon Empire. No blood for dilithium!! |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2007-05-06 09:02 |
| #1 All the need now to make it practical is a supply of dilithium crystals. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2007-05-06 07:08 |