CBS 60 Minutes reports on cold fusion

LENR-CANR.Org ^ | April 2009 | Jed Rothwell

[Kevmo]

CBS 60 Minutes reports on cold fusion April 2009

The CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes reported on cold fusion on April 19, 2009. The video and an article describing it are here:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/17/60minutes/main4952167.shtml

"COLD FUSION IS HOT AGAIN - Presented in 1989 as a revolutionary new source of energy, cold fusion was quickly dismissed as junk science. But today, the buzz among scientists is that these experiments produce a real physical effect that could lead to monumental breakthroughs in energy production. Scott Pelley reports. Denise Schrier Cetta is the producer."

A detailed description of the broadcast is here: http://newenergytimes.com/v2/news/2009/60MinutesTurnsUptheHeat.shtml

The reported featured the work of McKubre et al., and Dardik et al. Here are some notable papers by these authors:

McKubre, M.C.H., et al., Development of Advanced Concepts for Nuclear Processes in Deuterated Metals. 1994, EPRI. http://lenr-canr.org/acrobat/McKubreMCHdevelopmen.pdf

McKubre, M.C.H., et al., Isothermal Flow Calorimetric Investigations of the D/Pd and H/Pd Systems. J. Electroanal. Chem., 1994. 368: p. 55. http://lenr-canr.org/acrobat/McKubreMCHisothermala.pdf

Dardik, I., et al. Ultrasonically-excited electrolysis Experiments at Energetics Technologies. in ICCF-14 International Conference on Condensed Matter Nuclear Science. 2008. Washington, DC. http://lenr-canr.org/acrobat/DardikIultrasonic.pdf

CBS asked Prof. Robert Duncan to do an independent evaluation of the literature and to visit researchers and experiments. Duncan has not performed cold fusion experiments himself and had the impression that the original claims were mistaken. He now says: "I found that the work done was carefully done, and that the excess heat, as I see it now, is quite real." He added: "If you ask me, is this going to have any impact on our energy policy, it’s impossible to say, because we don't fundamentally understand the process yet. But to say, because we don't fundamentally understand the process and that's why we're not going to study it, is like saying, 'I'm too sick to go to the doctor.'"

Most experts who have conducted independent evaluations of cold fusion have concluded the effect is real, notably Gerischer, who wrote: "In spite of my earlier conclusion, -- and that of the majority of scientists, -- that the phenomena reported by Fleischmann and Pons in 1989 depended either on measurement errors or were of chemical origin, there is now undoubtedly overwhelming indications that nuclear processes take place in the metal alloys." See: http://lenr-canr.org/acrobat/GerischerHiscoldfusi.pdf

Richard Garwin asserted that there may be an error measuring input power, and the excess heat might be an artifact for this reason. This is ruled out for several reasons, most notably:

The excess heat has been measured when there is no input power, in heat after death and with gas loading. As McKubre pointed out in his response, "A very large number of people have been making these measurements and a measurement of current, voltage, temperature resistance is some of the simplest measurements that a physicist or a physical scientist will measure." Garwin himself, in his 1993 report on his visit to SRI wrote: "We have found no specific experimental artifact responsible for the finding of excess heat . . ." In other words, he does not know any specific reason to doubt the power measurements. Unless he can cite a specific reason his claim cannot be tested or falsified and therefore it is not a valid scientific assertion. Garwin's SRI report is here: http://www.newenergytimes.com/v2/reports/GarwinLewisReport/garwin.shtml

http://newenergytimes.com/v2/news/2009/RichardGarwinStillDisbeliever.shtml

Garwin also said: "I am living proof that there's doubt. Now, they can say that there, that excess heat is being produced. But they can't say there's no doubt. All they can say is they don't doubt. But I doubt." This is also not a valid scientific assertion.

[Kevmo]

Thanks to Garjog for the reminder about this report from a couple of years ago, it turns out it was never posted on FR.

http://www.lenr-canr.org/News.htm#CBS60minutes

Robert E Godes explains Brillouin energy and Los Alamos National Lab Situation
Sunday, July 10, 2011 9:15:25 PM · 12 of 13
garjog to Kevmo
2010 Sixty Minutes report worth watching. Exciting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyNn_Z6wCIk

[Kevmo]

Clickable links

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/17/60minutes/main4952167.shtml

http://www.newenergytimes.com/v2/reports/GarwinLewisReport/garwin.shtml

http://newenergytimes.com/v2/news/2009/RichardGarwinStillDisbeliever.shtml

undoubtedly overwhelming indications that nuclear processes take place in the metal alloys.” See: http://lenr-canr.org/acrobat/GerischerHiscoldfusi.pdf

A detailed description of the broadcast is here: http://newenergytimes.com/v2/news/2009/60MinutesTurnsUptheHeat.shtml

The reported featured the work of McKubre et al., and Dardik et al. Here are some notable papers by these authors:

McKubre, M.C.H., et al., Development of Advanced Concepts for Nuclear Processes in Deuterated Metals. 1994, EPRI. http://lenr-canr.org/acrobat/McKubreMCHdevelopmen.pdf

McKubre, M.C.H., et al., Isothermal Flow Calorimetric Investigations of the D/Pd and H/Pd Systems. J. Electroanal. Chem., 1994. 368: p. 55. http://lenr-canr.org/acrobat/McKubreMCHisothermala.pdf

Dardik, I., et al. Ultrasonically-excited electrolysis Experiments at Energetics Technologies. in ICCF-14 International Conference on Condensed Matter Nuclear Science. 2008. Washington, DC. http://lenr-canr.org/acrobat/DardikIultrasonic.pdf

[Kevmo]

The Cold Fusion Ping List

I’m taking the liberty of adding Jed Rothwell and Steven Krivit to this ping list because they’re both well known cold fusioneers and they’re both freepers.

[Kevmo]

CBS 60 Minutes alters cold fusion report in response to pressure from the APS

http://www.lenr-canr.org/News.htm
May 2009

Steve Krivit reported that the on-line version of the video has been altered. The video as broadcast said: “’We asked the American Physical Society, the top physics organization in America, to recommend an independent scientist. They gave us Rob Duncan.” The sentence referring to the American Physical Society has been removed from the on-line video and replaced with the following: “We asked another distinguished physicist to have a look at the research.” There were no other apparent changes to the video.

http://newenergytimes.com/v2/blog/?p=74

The APS says they did not recommend Duncan:

http://aps.org/about/pressreleases/coldfusion09.cfm

[Steely Tom]

You'll know when the credibility of this research reaches the tipping point. The price of oil will drop and stay dropped. The price of palladium will go through the roof (remember what happened back in '89). Environmentalists will find some way to attack cold fusion.

I wonder if nuclear war will break out in the Middle East as the various oil-producing countries try to knock out each other's production facilities to keep the price up as long as possible.

[Kevmo]

I was considering going hard into Palladium. But Rossi’s E-CAT only uses Nickel & Hydrogen. It’s possibly using Thorium or Technetium as the catalyst. So I’m re-evaluating my strategy.

The Comedian seemed to make money by going into Palladium, but this could be a heads up as a time to get out.

[MCH]

Really? Cool. I used to read the usenet news group covering cold fusion all the time back in the early to mid 90s (sci.physics.fusion I think) and Jed Rothwell was a regular poster there. Always incredibly interesting. Nice to know he’s a FReeper as well. I always thought he seemed like a guy with common sense and an open mind :).

[dennisw]

The Comedian got bounced, don’t ask me why. Might have been his stupid mask photo.

[refreshed]

Self-Ping

[DaveTesla]

“Environmentalists will find some way to attack cold fusion.”

Of course, environmentalists don't care for the environment. They are all about population reduction and global communism.

[RussP]

We don’t need fusion. Thorium will do the job nicely:

http://www.thoriumenergyalliance.com/ThoriumSite/portal.html

This is truly revolutionary. Please take a look at it.

[blasater1960]

bmfl

[Telepathic Intruder]

This is the third time I’ve heard that they’ve discovered cold fusion. If this one turns out like the other two, I won’t hear about it again for another 10 years.

[politicianslie]

Thorium will do the job nicely

As I sit here in the middle of the night babysitting a Westinghouse PWR at 100% power I have a good preliminary opinion of Thorium based on the link you provided. Sounds interesting.

The future? There are holes in the ground down the hill that are supposed to grow up to be TWO AP-1000's. They filled in another hole a couple of decades ago a stones throw from here that was supposed to be UNIT#2.

[DoughtyOne]

Thanks Kevmo. First of all, I appreciate the pings, and secondly, it’s good to have these folks on board. Welcome...

[CitizenUSA]

I have absolutely no idea whether this is really cold fusion or something else, but it doesn’t seem even remotely feasible economically. I’m basing my opinion on the description of the devices. It seems like a lot of expense to (potentially) generate very, very tiny amounts of heat. What’s the likelihood of something like this ever generating enough power to run a modern industrial society? For comparison, solar power generation exists and is a proven technology, but it’s hardly competitive. What am I trying to say? Just because something CAN be done doesn’t mean it will be done, and we aren’t even sure at this point cold fusion CAN be done.

[Captain Beyond]

bflr

[exnavy]

cold fusion = globull warming.

[Tunehead54]

Re Palladium - just FYI - As I understand it, palladium and platinum are interchangeable for catalytic converters - when one gets too pricey buyers for the converter manufacturers switch to the other which is relatively less expensive - the switches in orders causes predictable market swings in the two commodities but its not a game for the little guys. That might have been Comedian’s deal but he’s banned and may be broke now too. IMHO. ;-)