Temperature and pressure dependence of anomalous heat generation occurring in hydrogen gas absorption by metal powder

It is known that anomalous heat is generated when hydrogen (or deuterium) gas is absorbed by nickel or palladium powder [1-2]. There are lots of researches while increasing either initial temperature or pressure in reaction chamber.

In our previous report [3], we developed a small constant-volume reaction system (shown in Fig. 1) in order to validate excess heat generation, while increasing both of pressure and temperature simultaneously. This is because only temperature increase may lead to less reaction due to the possibility that hydrogen gas heated gets out of metal powder such as palladium or nickel.

In this report, we conduct fundamental experiment of hydrogen gas absorption, up to 300 ℃ and 0.5 MPa. Sample (nickel powder or Pd-Ni-Zr composite powder) absorbs loaded hydrogen gas, after evacuation and preheating. Temperature changing of the sample is measured by K-type thermo couple.

As a result, temperature rise of about 4 K is observed in the experiment conducted for nickel powder, while that of about 12 K for Pd-Ni-Zr composite powder is obtained. Emphasis is placed on the fact that temperature rise is assisted by not only preheating but also gas absorption under higher pressure.

Obtained experimental results brings an insight on quantitative evaluation of correlation between output of temperature increase after reaction and input parameters such as preheat and loading gas pressure of hydrogen gas. This will also be important as basic database for the focusing compression engine proposed by us [4].

[1] A.G. Parkhomov, V.A. Zhigalov, S.N. Zabavin, A.G. Sobolev, T.R. Timerbulatov, “Nickel hydrogen heat generator continuously working for 7 months,” 22nd International Conference on Condensed Matter Nuclear Science (ICCF22) Book of Abstracts, Assisi, p. 77, 2019.

[2] Y. Arata, Y. Zhang, “The Establishment of Solid Nuclear Fusion Reactor,” J. High Temp. Soc., vol. 34, pp. 85-93, 2008.

[3] T. Kobayashi, K. Naitoh, A. Takahashi, R. Seto, J. Hachisuka, et al. “Development of reaction system with small chamber for fundamental experiments measuring anomalous heat effect,” Proc. 20th Meeting of Japan CF Research Society JCF20, Fukuoka, pp. 1-8, 2019.

[4] K. Naitoh, et al., “Fundamental Experimental Tests toward Future Cold Fusion Engine Based on Point-compression due to Supermulti-jets Colliding with Pulse (Fusine),” J. Condensed Matter Nucl. Sci., vol. 24, pp. 236-243, 2017.

J. Condensed Matter Nucl. Sci. 29 (2019) 85–94
Research Article
Temperature Dependence of Excess Power in Both Electrolysis
and Gas-loading Experiments
Zhan M. Dong∗
, Chang L. Liang and Xing Z. Li†
Department of Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Shu X. Zheng
Department of Engineering-Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Abstract
The earlier data from a “Heat after Death” electrolysis experiment and from a Tsinghua University gas-loading experiment are
reviewed to show that temperature dependence of excess heat in both electrolysis and gas-loading experiments supports the straightline behaviour in the semi-logarithmic plot discovered by Storms. Additional gas-loading data in seven Pd-tubes show that excess
heat is correlated to a deuterium flux as a result of the diffusion process which is implied in this temperature dependence of excess
heat.
⃝c 2019 ISCMNS. All rights reserved. ISSN 2227-3123
Keywords: Deuterium flux, Gas-loading experiment, NAE, NAZ, Pumping effect, Resonant surface capture model, Temperature
dependence of excess heat
1. Introduction
We presented two papers about the temperature dependence of excess heat at ICCF-21: a theoretical study and an
experimental study. The theoretical study showed that this temperature dependence of excess heat [1] might reveal
the resonant mechanism of excess heat: resonant surface capture reaction [2]. In this paper we further show that this
temperature dependence of excess heat is confirmed not only by earlier Fleischmann–Pons’ electrolysis experiments
(the famous “heat after death” experiment (ICCF-3) [3]), but also by the earlier gas-loading experiments at Tsinghua
University in three aspects: (i) “pumping effect” in a long-thin palladium wire (1999 Asti Meeting and ICCF-9) [4],
(ii) the comparison of cooling curves between Pd/D and Pd/H systems (ICCF-6) [5], and (iii) the temperature cycling
effect on a long-thin palladium wire (ICCF-7) [6]). Moreover, additional experiments at Tsinghua University (ICCF-
∗E-mail: dongzm@tsinghua.edu.cn.
†Corresponding author. E-mail: lxz-dmp@tsinghua.edu.cn.
⃝c 2019 ISCMNS. All rights reserved. ISSN 2227-3123
86 Z.M. Dong et al. / Journal of Condensed Matter Nuclear Science 29 (2019) 85–94
Figure 1. Three straight lines in semi-logarithmic scale plot.
18) [7] have directly shown that this excess heat effect in gas-loading experiments is related to the deuterium flux
diffusion through the palladium thin wall of the Pd-tubes.

2. The Temperature Dependence of Excess Heat before Boiling Period of Electrolyte
In 1992 (ICCF-3), Fleischmann and Pons first presented their most compelling “heat after death” experiments. After a
period of incubation at low current density, the electrolytic current was raised to trigger a positive feed-back effect in
temperature. In their plot the excess heat power was given along with the temperature of the electrolyte [3]. Twelve
pairs of data points are available directly from their plot, and are plotted in Fig. 1 (red circles). It is interesting to note
that these data points are on a straight line again in the semi-logarithmic plot with (1/T) as abscissa as first discovered
by Storms 2016 [1]. The data point before triggering has been very important to confirm this straightline behavior,
because the temperature of electrolyte after triggering showed somehow a little scattering This implies that although
the excess heat power level was low before triggering it was still a real effect. It might be a hint that the so-called
threshold effect for current density on the surface of Pd cathode might not be real. It was just the onset point of
positive feed-back due to the temperature dependence of excess heat power
3. Confirmation in Gas-loading Experiments
There are three sets of data points from gas-loading experiments with the same long-thin palladium wire in D2 gas,
and a comparable data set in H gas from Tsinghua University in 1997–1999.
1. “Pumping effect” at 100, 95, and 50◦C

4. Excess Heat is Correlated with Deuterium Flux but Not “Pumping”
To further exclude the effect of heat conductivity induced by “pumping”, and show the correlation between excess
heat and deuteron flux, the gas-loading experiments were continued at Tsinghua University using a Pd-tube instead of
Pd-wire after 1999. The first experiment used a Seebeck calorimeter (C-80D) which is supposed to be independent
of heat conductivity with the accuracy of 1 µW. The “pumping effect” has been confirmed again in a short thin wall
Figure 7. A new gas-loading system with a bunch of seven long-thin Pd tubes.
92 Z.M. Dong et al. / Journal of Condensed Matter Nuclear Science 29 (2019) 85–94
Figure 8. Excess heat is correlated with the deuterium flux but not “pumping effect”.
Pd-tube (26 mm × 0.1 mm × ϕ 4 mm) [10]. A peak of excess power was found near 140–150◦C which was correlated
with a peak of deuterium flux through the thin wall of the Pd-tube. In order to further scale-up this deuterium flux
effect, a new Pd-D system was built using seven long-thin Pd-tubes (40 cm × 80 µm×ϕ 3 mm) (Fig. 7) A bunch of
seven long-thin Pd-tubes were sealed at their lower ends and the upper ends were connected to a mechanical pump to
pump out the gas inside the Pd-tubes. The deuterium gas was filled outside the Pd-tubes in a stainless steel cylinder. An
electrical heater was wound around the Pd-tubes, and the whole cylinder was put into a glass Dewar for heat insulation.
The major heat conducting path was through the stainless steel flange on the top of the Dewar. An intelligent power
supply was applied to keep the Pd-tubes at a specified temperature (150◦C). When we pumped inside of Pd-tubes only
a deuterium flux was generated from outside into the inside of the Pd-tubes. If we pumped both sides of Pd-tubes
the “pumping effect” was supposed to be stronger, but the deuterium flux was reduced greatly. We might compare
these two cases to judge if the heat effect was correlated with deuterium flux or correlated with “pumping”. Figure 8
shows the experimental result over two days. The red line on the top shows the temperature was kept at 150◦C by
an intelligent power supply very closely. The green line at the bottom shows that the gas pressure inside the Pd-tubes
was kept at less than 2 torr by a mechanical pump. The central pink line shows that the D2 gas pressure outside the
Pd-tubes was about 14 torr at first, and was pumped down at 12:00 AM of the second day. The necessary heating
power of the intelligent power supply is shown by the brown thick line above the pink line. A very clear power jump
was correlated with pumping both sides of Pd-tubes. The necessary heating power jumped from 19 to 20 W to keep
the temperature at 150◦C when the “pumping effect” was stronger, and heat conductivity was supposed to be smaller.
Therefore, we have to attribute the DC power reduction on the first day to the deuterium flux generated by pumping
inside of Pd-tubes only. Indeed the heat effect correlated with deuterium flux is more than 1 W if we consider the
reduction of heat conductivity.
Z.M. Dong et al. / Journal of Condensed Matter Nuclear Science 29 (2019) 85–94 93
5. Conclusion.
Three conclusive remarks might be tentatively draw from our two presentations at ICCF-21:
(1) A straight line in semi-logarithmic scale plot is confirmed by three sets of data from gas-loading and from
electrolysis experiments in different laboratories which were published well before the publication of Storms’
discovery
(2) A two-step model is implied in this straightline behavior. An elastic diffusive process creates a mother state
for the next inelastic nuclear transition to daughter state. Indeed this might be just the model we need for
understanding the nuclear active environment (NAE) or nuclear active zone (NAZ).
(3) The additives in anomalous heat experiments might play a more important role than we thought previously.
The lithium (LiOD) in electrolysis experiments was only thought to be an additive to increase conductivity
of electrolyte. The lithium (LiAlH4) in Ni–H system was considered only a catalyst in reactions. The tungsten wire was considered only a tool to dissociate the molecule D2. Now we understand that: the slope of
Fleischmann–Pons’ straight line is very close to the activation energy of deuterium diffusion coefficient in
lithium–deuteride; the slope of Storms’ straight line is very close to the activation energy of deuterium diffusion coefficient in palladium–deuteride; and the slope of Tsinghua University’s straight line might be close
to the barrier energy of the deuterium diffusion coefficient in tungsten deuteride. Based our resonant surface
capture model we might ask: What was the major fuel in these anomalous heat effects?

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