Correct. Bockris did precisely what you suggested, he called Fleischmann and pumped him for the minute details, and then built his own cell.....which worked.
"What does D2 loading do? D2 is the deuterium that the palladium electrode sit in if I recall correctly?
"D2 loading" is forcing the maximum amount of deuterium into the palladium electrode lattice (and thus into the closest possible deuterium atom-to-deuterium atom spacing). It turns out that for the reaction to "kick off" that the loading has to be (as I recall) greater than a loading factor of 0.75 (and at this point I don't recall exactly how loading factor is defined...but it is an agreed upon parameter of such systems).
"Once the reaction starts, how long does it run for, what is the limiting reagent or (reactant) in this case (reactant stolen from Wiki)? Since D2 is a gas, is it dissolved in water or another solvent and it's not 'heavy water' is it?
"Reactant" is correct. In the case of a P&F cell, you pass a DC current through a solution of D2O (heavy water) containing a high level of some ionic species (for P&F cells, this is lithium deuteroxide (LiOD)). D2 gas is produced at one electrode, and O2 gas at the other. You set up the polarity of the current such that the D2 gas is being evolved at the palladium electrode, and O2 gas at the "counter electrode" (usually platinum). As the electrolysis continues, D2 molecules are driven into the palladium electrode substrate, where they lose their electrons to the palladium lattice and become "naked" D+ atoms. Such systems also incorporate what is called a "recombiner" (which is basically a platinum catalyst) mounted in the headspace of the reactor to "recombine" any D2 that is NOT forced into the palladium with the O2 that is coming from the counter-electrode (assuming the cell is "closed", i.e. hermetically sealed). In an "open" cell, you just keep adding D2O (but that makes the accounting more difficult).
So, basically, you are making D2 of from heavy water. Of course, there are a lot of complicating factors (as McKubre details). These are NOT simple systems, and they take real expertise to set up and run correctly. And there are a huge number of variations that can be done. NOT easy to "get exactly right".
AFAIK, once started, the cells run until they are shut down, or you stop adding D2O in the case of "open" cells".
"If the cell has to run a long time before they see the effect, have they counted the energy used to prepare the cell before it starts running and is it over unity when it's all taken into account?"
Yes. Although the psycho-skeptics constantly claim that they have somehow "made an accounting error" and not correctly accounted for it.
"Thanks for the time I know you're swamped. I'm too beat to read more on the LENR-CANR site but that will probably have to wait until the weekend assuming of course that I don't end up sleeping or working through it.
I'm an early riser, so I can typically take more time in the AM. Things are SLOWLY winding down a bit at work (all the end-of-the-year stuff has gone and all that remains is the "regular stuff" that didn't get done while the rush was on). I "think" I perceive some light at the end of the tunnel with no other signs of an onrushing train, so I am cautiously optimistic that I just "might" be getting caught up.
Regarding the P&F cells, is their only energy output in the form of heat or can it also be used to make O2 and D2 gas at the same time? I know you said it creates those gases from electrolysis and the cell is engineered to recombine D2 with O2 at the counter electrode but is that another benefit of the P&F cells, cheap (or cheaper) creation of O2 and D2?
I'm an early riser, so I can typically take more time in the AM. Things are SLOWLY winding down a bit at work (all the end-of-the-year stuff has gone and all that remains is the "regular stuff" that didn't get done while the rush was on). I "think" I perceive some light at the end of the tunnel with no other signs of an onrushing train, so I am cautiously optimistic that I just "might" be getting caught up.
All the engineering types I know are early risers and so am I. I prefer to come in early to make sure everything works and to have an hour or two of uninterrupted work. The downside is when someone schedules a meeting at 6:00pm because they come in late and no matter how many times I decline, the same people do the same thing arghh...