Seems the claims are far too narrow to afford any significant capture of space in this area, if the chemicals can be changed. Should this one “work”, competitors will be modifying the crap out of it or proto-ing their own so as to not infringe.
Here’s claim 1:
1. An apparatus for heating fluid, said apparatus comprising a tank, an electrical resistor, and a fuel wafer, wherein said tank is configured for holding fluid to be heated, wherein said fuel wafer is configured to be in thermal communication with said fluid, wherein said fuel wafer includes a fuel mixture that includes reagents and a catalyst, wherein said electrical resistor is in thermal communication with said fuel mixture and said catalyst, wherein said resistor is configured to be coupled to a voltage source, wherein said apparatus further comprises a controller in communication with said voltage source, and a temperature sensor, wherein said fuel mixture comprises lithium, and lithium aluminum hydride, wherein said catalyst comprises a group 10 element, wherein said controller is configured to monitor a temperature from said temperature sensor, and, based at least in part on said temperature, to reinvigorate a reaction in said fuel mixture, wherein reinvigorating said reaction comprises varying a voltage of said voltage source.
If the fuel mixture can be varied, competitors may be home free.
I fully agree. I think Rossi's specific embodiment is a rude, crude, kludge. I put it as the equivalent of the Newkomen steam engine (which worked quite well, and enabled the birth of the coal/steel Industrial Revolution).
Who will be the "James Watt" of "cold fusion"????
And it is still a long step from our "LENR-proto-Watt" to the equivalent of a modern steam turbine power plant.