Posted on 10/31/2011 11:18:45 AM PDT by Liberty1970
As everyone following the saga of Andrea Rossi and his Energy Catalyzer knows, October 28 reputedly saw the successful testing of his '1 megawatt' cold fusion plant and the first sale. Now Rossi has reported the sale of 'more than 2' such ECAT units, with rumors on the net indicating 13 sales.
It is unclear whether this involves the sudden physical transfer of twelve more completed ECATS (unlikely), or that money has changed hands and sales agreements have been concluded for delivery of such units. Rossi has indicated first-year production of 30-100 such units, so a dozen ECATS represents a significant fraction of capacity for the year to come.
We also have to cope with the fact that the customers have not been identified. Those of us seeking verification for the reality of ECAT claims want, above all else, to see test results verified by someone other than Rossi (or his compatriots). Surely his buyers are in a position to validate his claims as they receive working ECATs. So it is frustrating to be left wondering who those buyers are, even if they may have good reason at this point to preserve anonymity.
That's been the problem all along - for every reason to be skeptical, there is a reasonable interpretation of the same data from the viewpoint that the ECAT is real. The first purchasers may be companies seeking to gain a competitive advantage within their industry using the ECAT, such that publicizing their purchase prematurely would be against their own best interests. I won't waste my time speculating.
And I do think some speculation in the media has been unreasonable. For example, one media outlet commented that Rossi might be honestly mistaken about the power output of his ECAT. Really? Back when LENR enthusiasts were trying to squeeze a few extra watts out of an experiment that might have been plausible, but Rossi himself claims to have run an ECAT for two years. And we are now talking about hundreds of kilowatts, enough to power or heat scores of homes, from a single unit. He either knows he's lying or not. He either is faking it, has the real goods, or has accidently created (and charged up) a spectacular battery that would be almost as stunning as the ECAT idea itself.
What we do know is that Rossi has claimed multiple sales to unknown parties, with more on the way. This is suspicious to me, but it is problematic to conclude the ECAT is a fraud. If it's a fraud it was very skillfully executed, and is now being taken to a whole new level. It now involves Rossi engaging the services of quite a few actors/contractors who played the role of buyers in the 10/28 test. They would have to be aware of the hubbub surrounding the ECAT, and that this would be no mere prank but a serious case of fraud they are getting involved in. They can't all be stuffing cash into suitcases and heading for the hills.
If I'm right, the number of people who would know the ECAT is a fraud would have to be kept as small as possible. Skeptics are fond of comparing the ECAT to past 'free energy' claims where an inventor kept investors waiting, and waiting, and waiting. But Rossi is (at face value) selling real units, not promising vaporware. A fraudulent ECAT simply can't survive physical transfer to independent buyers who can and will soon confirm its operation.
So now we have claims of multiple sales, and Rossi says the first unit has been physically transfered to the buyer. If the buyers are real, even the one first sale should unleash a howl that the public will hear if the ECAT is a dud. The worst case is that the buyers remain anonymous and/or the physical deliveries are delayed, in which case satisfactory non-Rossi confirmation of ECATs is delayed.
But with plans to build 30-100 units in a year and multiple successes under his belt, Rossi will have few excuses to delay shipping units to real customers, and not every one of them will be bent on total secrecy. And let's be sensible - he can only have so many compatriots willing to participate in false sales as the hype builds.
So the ECAT floodgates are open - now we just need to watch what emerges. Outraged customers, continuing secrecy and obfuscation, or delighted and eager buyers at the forefront of a revolution?
It's relevant to your vanity, in particular the part of your vanity that I quoted.
I will admit, however, to being more annoyed at the hardened skeptics than at the true believers. The reasons for this are complex, but partly involve my frustration at the often specious reasoning used by those who seem to think they are smarter than everyone else.
I would like to see one used to heat an apartment complex, mall or office building for the winter. Just install it in an independent location and let it run.
My guess is that, if it works, that the potential buyers will sit on it and continue to sell their more profitable energy producing products.
I would sure like someone to explain the iron powder that was present in his “used” nickel powder.
doubt it. what they will do is try to find a legal means to prevent others from building and selling what they themselves want to build and sell.
There are too many people who want this to be true, that’s why I am skeptical.
“My guess is that, if it works, that the potential buyers will sit on it and continue to sell their more profitable energy producing products.”
If it works, there is a billion dollar plus advance waiting for him from any one of twenty companies for US distribution rights.
That or the copper, which has the same ratio of isotopes as natural copper.
As a side note, Rossi claims in his patent application that fission also occurs in the ecat.
“One possible way to tell if E-Cat is real or not is to look at funding. If he secured a loan from the U.S. DOE, then it is definitely a fraud. :)”
Not necessarily a fraud. But it is certainly way too expensive to produce energy that competes with fossil fuel.
http://www.journal-of-nuclear-physics.com/?p=516&cpage=6#comment-107295
I look forward to reading the reviews of whoever receives their E-Cat device first.
well, I don’t believe physicist and nuclear chemists know everything. Just because they can’t explain how it could be possible doesn’t mean it isn’t possible.
But the iron powder is curious. Rossi never mentioned iron being involved. I think either Rossi is very clever for throwing in a little iron just to throw people off, or he just isn’t all that bright and really has no idea how his device works.
Iron Hydride is also a possible source. Folks who know batteries can work with that a bit if they want.
You are 100% correct. When you consider the sheer number of watts in a typical building that were expended for lighting; then consider that 60-90% of that power was transferred to heat; I wonder how many buildings are going to be so inefficient due to the loss of the secondary heating units, that the primary heating unit can no longer maintain (or inefficiently maintain) comfortable heating levels. I'd venture a guess that the yearly energy bill for these buildings will actually go 'up'.
All that waste copper would be left right there in circular heaps ~ kind of like we find copper ore these days.
The product of this ancient but otherwise typical LENR power unit would most likely produce "ash" that has the same ratio of isotopes as we find in a more recent device of similar design.
Hmm ~ you come up with such great questions that lead instantly to "ANCIENT ALIENS" material. I'll have to add that one to my collection!
For a scam this story has legs...
And the fan blades they’d force him to add to his units ~ they’d be huge ~ and very dangerous that close to the ground!
But for some reason Rossi is willing to utilize huge systems to carry away heat rather than build a steam generator that would let him export that heat as electricity. He should be able to buy something close to what he needs and modify it for his purpose. But he hasn't.
But I'm patient. I want him to succeed. I await the day that Rossi lights up Times Square with his gizmo - but it may be a long wait.
But there is something about the way this technology is being "sold" that just doesn't feel right.
only in cold climates
in warm climates, everyone will have AC units way too big.
btw, electronics are becoming more efficient(less waste heat
) also. I’ve been wondering when someone will invent a clothes dryer that uses microwave radiation from a magnetron instead of combustion or electric heating element.
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