Robust Performance Validation of LENR Energy Generators

K.S. Grabowski,

D.L. Knies

Naval Research Laboratory, Washington DC

M.E. Melich

Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey CA

A.E. Moser

Nova Research Inc., Alexandria, VA

D.J. Nagel

The George Washington University, Washington, DC

ICCF16, Chennai, India 6-11 Feb 2011 Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited)

Motivation

Develop a robust test for a “Black Box” device, to show that more energy is produced than can be explained by conventional physics and chemistry.

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hydrogen, coolant

Control Volume Description

electrochemical power, internal heater water, air, photons, microwaves, etc.

Heat in DUT Heat out E stored capacitor, batteries, chemical reactant with air as oxidizer water, gases, radiation Energy out =

∫[

Heat out - Heat in - Fuel in - (I*V) in

]

dt - E stored DUT: Device Under Test Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited)

Main Features of LENR Calorimeters

Principle Mechanism Hotter Region Colder Region Measured Senso rs Single Wall

Heat Conductivity Source electrolyte Source jacket Power Temperature

Signals

Voltage

Isoperibolic Double Wall

Heat Conductivity Source jacket Outer bath Power Temperature Voltage

Seebeck

Heat Conductivity Ins ide of Barrier Outs ide of barrier Power Temperature Voltage

Mass Flow

Heat Capacity Source jacket Flowing fluid Power Temperature & flow Voltage

Heat Flow

Heat Conductivity Metal Plate Source and jacket Power Temperature Voltage

Ice

Heat Capacity Source Ice water Energy Weight Voltage Many types of calorimeters are applied to LENR research, but for testing of “black box” devices of variable size and shape, the mass flow type is more simple and flexible.

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Mass Flow Calorimeter Concept for Gas Loading Cell

Water in (T in , J in ) DUT E stored Water out (T out , J out ) Electrical Power in (I*V) ( Gas in  m/  t) Energy out = ∫[(T out - T in )·C p ·J  m/  t·  H - (I*V) in ] dt - E stored (heat capacity of water) (gas burned) (conservative estimate, e.g., gasoline) Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited)

Potential Energy Storage (Important for “Black Box” Validation)

1000 H 2 @2200 psi Gasoline Li Thermite (Fe 2 O 3 + 2Al) NiH Li ion battery 100 1 L (~800 g)  35 MJ (

~10 h @ 1 kW

) 10 1 1 L (~15 g)  2.1 MJ (

~30 min @ 1 kW

) 0.1

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 volumetric energy density (MJ/L) 35 40 Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited)

How to Overcome E stored ?

• If possible, ascertain contents of “Black Box” before and after test to limit quantity of stored energy available • Otherwise, must consider worst case scenario, requiring: – Knowledge of mass and volume of “Black Box” – High power output device (i.e., > kW), compared to inputs – Long time measurements (days?) if at lower power – Limited mass and volume available for fuel Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited)

Flow and



T Requirements for Water

Power = Flow·  ·C p ·  T;  ·C p = 4.2 kJ·L -1 ·K -1  T(K) = 0.24 Power(kW) / Flow(L/s) Flow (gpm) 1 10 1000 100 30 kW 10 10 3 1 0.3

1 0.1

0.03

0.1

0.01

0.1

Flow (L/s) Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) 1

Flow and



T Requirements for Water

Power = Flow·  ·C p ·  T;  ·C p = 4.2 kJ·L -1 ·K -1  T(K) = 0.24 Power(kW) / Flow(L/s) Flow (gpm) 1 10 1000 100 10 1 30 kW 10 3 1 0.3

0.1

0.03

0.1

0.01

0.1

Flow (L/s) Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) 1 To overcome E stored in practical time - 5 hrs - 1L gasoline - 2 kW ave. P

Flow and



T Requirements for Water

Power = Flow·  ·C p ·  T;  ·C p = 4.2 kJ·L -1 ·K -1  T(K) = 0.24 Power(kW) / Flow(L/s) Flow (gpm) 1 10 1000 100 10 1 30 kW 10 3 1 0.3

0.1

0.03

0.1

0.01

0.1

Flow (L/s) Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) 1 To overcome TC precision ( ± 1K), flow must be limited for given Power output

Flow and



T Requirements for Water

Power = Flow·  ·C p ·  T;  ·C p = 4.2 kJ·L -1 ·K -1  T(K) = 0.24 Power(kW) / Flow(L/s) Flow (gpm) 1 10 1000 100 10 1 30 kW 10 3 1 0.3

0.1

0.03

0.1

0.01

0.1

Flow (L/s) Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) 1 Added range with precision RTD ( ± 0.2K)

Calibration of all Sensors Required

• • • • • • Repeated measurements to document precision of each sensor Reasonable standards to document accuracy , such as weighing known volume of water on a mass balance, or using multiple pressure gauges Digital mass flow sensor calibrated with stop watch and mass balance or graduated cylinder, and/or against analog flow meter T sensors measured collectively in stirred ice and boiling water baths I*V power meter should measure known power source and load, and its bandwidth verified. High frequency capability must be demonstrated.

Volume and T of hydrogen storage bottle must be known, and pressure measured with suitable precision. Pressure response to T changes should be documented. If gas employed becomes liquefied at storage pressure, then mass of gas in tank must be measured instead. Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited)

Testing of Measurement Apparatus

• A known heat source should substitute for DUT to document performance of measurement apparatus • Parallel configuration is preferred, since flow requirements may be incompatible with serial flow

Water in

DUT Electric Water Heater Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited)

Water out

Redundancy

• Redundancy needed for sensors, as they sometimes fail or are impacted by environmental factors • Orthogonal methodology should be used to overcome common mode failures, for example: – Thermocouples are sensitive to ground loop problems, so an IR pyrometer which can be decoupled from apparatus is useful – Pulses from digital flow meters may not be properly counted by computer, so analog meter (while less precise) can be indicator of error • Such redundancy is needed for all critical parameters: T, water flow, V, I, gas flow Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited)

TC in (2)

Structure of Measurement Apparatus

IR pyrometer spot for Tin Water to drain TC out (2) TC in (1) Flow of Water out conventional water heater, or DUT TC out (1) Pressure of Water in Flow of Water in Pressure of Water out Water in Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) IR pyrometer spot for Tout

Water outlet

Apparatus in Preparation for Test

Analog flow meter 16 ch TC interface (0-10 V DC output) 12 kW water heater Sensor manifolds Water inlet Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited)

Flow Calibration

4 3.5

3 2.5

2 1.5

1 0.5

0 1.2 10 3 GPM In GPM Out 1.4 10 3 1.6 10 3 t (s) 1.8 10 3 2 10 3 Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) Dig in : 3.478 ± 0.008 (n=8) Dig out : 3.484 ± 0.013 (n=8) Bucket: 3.456

Analog: 3.5

Average = 3.48 ± 0.02

Dig in : 1.810 ± 0.008 (n=6) Dig out : 1.823 ± 0.010 (n=6) Bucket: 1.761

Analog: 1.8

Average = 1.80 ± 0.03

TC calibration

0.6

0.4

0.2

0 -0.2

-0.4

-0.6

-0.8

Ice bath, 14 TCs, 19 measurements each 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 TC Channel Ave stdev each TC = 0.033

Ave T = -0.1 ± 0.3

101 Boiling water, 14 TCs, 23 measurements each 100.5

100 99.5

99 98.5

98 Ave stdev each TC = 0.099

Ave T = 99.6 ± 0.4

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 TC Channel Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited)

Calibrated Thermocouple Stability

TC_4 TC_5 31 30 29 TC_6 TC_7 28 27 26 Bath-3 Bath-1 Bath-2 Use-2 Baseline Use-1 TC Condition TC_8 TC_13 Even after calibration, TCs in like environment show variability of ~1K during use. Use of matched pairs can help.

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Mass Flow Measurement of Water Heater Power

42 TC_5 cal TC_4 cal IR-T Pin (kW) GPM In GPM Out 8 7 40 500 s 6 38 5 36 4 34  T: 10.5 ± 0.1

° C 3 32 2 30 1 28 1.8 10 4 1.85 10 4 1.9 10 4 1.95 10 4 time (s) 2 10 4 0 2.05 10 4

P in

undersampled with power meter, as heater operates in “switching” mode, causing scatter in data. Average Pin =5.07 ± 0.40 kW ( ± 8%) Average

flow

while Pin ~5 kW: input = 1.780

± 0.006 gpm output = 1.958

± 0.006 (10% high?) analog meter = 1.77



T

= 10.5 ± s.

0.1

° C, based on averages of calibrated TC_4 out and TC_5 in . Output IR sensor also has  T = 10.5 ° C, after ~200 Since output flow seems discrepant, use estimate of 1.775 gpm from input flow and analog meter. This provides a conservative measure of power.

Therefore,

P out

= 4.91 ± 0.05 kW, and Efficiency = 97 ± 8% (Limited precision from high quality power meter) 5 kW easily measured Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited)

Challenge of Calorimetry with Steam: Must Measure Steam Quality Accurately and Precisely

Extra care must be taken during phase changes

Apparent Excess Heat vs. Dryness of Steam 7 4 3 2 6 5 1 0 0 Only 5.8% of the volume fraction being condensed water will cause one to BELIEVE that you have a 6x gain in power!

5 Heatout = Heatin 10 15

"% Water in Steam (Volume Fraction)"

20 25

Summary

• NRL’s existing water input and output manifolds can measure a large heat input with high efficiency (97%) • Requires care in use of sensors, including use of redundant, calibrated, and tested devices.

• Digital data collection provides means to rigorously validate performance of claimed LENR energy generators.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government." This is in accordance with DoDI 5230.29, January 8, 2009 Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited)

Recommendations

• • • • • • • Design, conduct and analyze tests thoroughly , to withstand all anticipated questions and criticisms.

Persons experienced in the types of measurements and instrumentation employed should participate in all phases of the tests.

Redundant calibrated sensors and systems should be employed to measure all streams of energy and matter entering and departing the device under test.

Signal-to-noise ratios of ten or more are required for all measurements to exclude the possibility of cumulative errors leading to a wrong conclusion.

The test should be conducted for a sufficient continuous period to strongly exclude the possibility of stored chemicals generating the observed energy output.

A thorough statistical data analysis should be conducted to determine the error associated with each measurement, and to compute an overall uncertainty in the energy gain.

A separate “red team” of persons experienced in related laboratory measurements should critique the design and execution of the test, and the analysis of the results.

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