Cold Fusion

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Cold Fusion

Want to see a futuristic and innovative alternative energy source that is rapidly becoming a reality. Read up on the truth about cold fusion technology and how you may well have such appliances in your home soon.

In a world wrought with carbon gas pollution, a dwindling supply of fossil fuels, and yet an ever increasing demand for electrical power an alternative energy source is needed more than ever. Many attempts have been made in this endeavor during the past few decades with everything from wind to solar power. The most successful has undoubtedly been nuclear power; however the fear that many people have of another Chernobyl accident occurring makes it difficult for this technology to gain acceptance in many communities, and it is perhaps arguable that there are some inherent dangers in the use of nuclear power. As scientific and political groups continue the search for a viable alternative energy sources, it may do them some good to examine the considerable advancements made in Cold Fusion technologies which have already produced patented products that are currently being marketed.

Historical Context

A school of physics that existed during Newton's time and lasted up through Einstein was Aether Physics. This school of thought posited that the material universe was immersed in a rich and connective energy field known as the Aether. This was used among other things to explain natural phenomena such as thunder balls and the concurrence of thunderstorms with large earth quakes.

The world view presented by Einstein and his Theory of General Relativity did not allow for the existence of such a field. Consequently, most physicists abandoned Aether Physics all together. It was not until more recently, when certain elements of Einstein's theory began to fall into question, that some scientists are starting to reconsider if there was some virtue to the theories of Aether Physics after all (Aspden).

While it may not yet have entered the scientific mainstream, a growing number of scientists are now investigating what they call the Zero Point Energy Field, its name derived from the presence of its substantial energy even at zero degrees Kelvin. The revisiting of this area of study is still relatively new, and there is still much to learn about this energy field. Its existence can explain many puzzling phenomena like the Uncertainty Principle and virtual photons, which are photons that are observed in a pitch dark vacuum that has no known light source. Its potential power seems to be tremendous, and it can explain many occurrences that conventional science cannot yet account for such as cold fusion. (Wicherink 1)

Birth of Cold Fusion

On March 23, 1989 Martin Fleischmann and Stanely Pons at the University of Utah announced that they had achieved successful cold fusion - the fusion of nuclei together at room temperature. These two electrochemists had funded their experiments out of pocket and achieved the unthinkable. They did not yet understand exactly how the reactions were working, but they knew how to cause the reactions to take place, and these reactions consistently produced two to six times as much energy as was put into them. ("Cold Fusion: Fire from Water")

Despite their well documented research, their results were not well received. Some scientific politics may have been at play here since for years hot fusion physicists had been spending millions of government dollars to fund unsuccessful hot fusion experiments that took place in huge warehouses with expensive equipment. Along came these two chemistry professors who out of their standard salaries funded small tabletop experiments that were achieving what these huge government funded experiments were not. One could well imagine how this must have seemed to them. In the same year, the Department of Energy which was predominantly populated by hot fusion physicists convinced the government to not pursue cold fusion research (O'Leary 3).

This did not deter Martin Fleischmann and Stanely Pons, however, as they were easily able to find ample funding for their research in England and France, chiefly supported by Toyota. As the years went by, the two chemists continued their research and improved their results. While that was going on, the results of their original experiment were reproduced by Dr. Georges Lonchampt of the French Atomic Energy Agency, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the US Navy’s China Lake research lab, and Dr. John Dash of Portland State University in Oregon who was even awarded funding from the US Army for his work (O'Leary 3). It is only a matter of time before the rest of the scientific community will have to take notice of the reality of cold fusion.

How it works

There is still much debate in the scientific community as to what exactly happens in a cold fusion chemical reaction. It does not appear to behave in a way that conventional understandings can readily explain. A palladium cathode is immersed in heavy water (deuterium water). When a current is run through the system, the deuterium nuclei are separated from the water molecules and forced into the palladium. The deuterium nuclei then fuse with the palladium nuclei, making silver, and this fusion of nuclei releases energy - usually two to six times as much as was put into the system ("Cold Fusion: Fire from Water").

Patterson Power Cell

James Patterson invented a small power producing device called the Patterson Power Cell. This device is currently being licensed and marketed by Clean Energy Technologies Incorporated (CETI). This company has even announced that it will release a hot water heater based on this technology within the next two years. These devices are well tested even by companies like Motorola (O'Leary 3). It will be exciting to see how these new devices will be implemented.

Other Uses

CETI is also developing a method of using cold fusion technology to render radioactive matter inert. They claim to already have a method though it will need more testing before it can be allowed to be used commercially. This can be used to take waste uranium from nuclear fuel plants and render the waste uranium non-radioactive (Manning). Even if cold fusion can't give us more power, it can make nuclear power much safer.
Implications

Cold fusion technology can be useful in many ways. If a power plant can eventually be developed employing cold fusion, then it will be one with zero pollution, needing only heavy water and a small amount of input power. Even if this would not be possible, the spread of devices such as water heaters based on this technology would mean that conventional power plants will have to output less power. If all the powerplants in the world could cut their output in half, that would mean half the air pollution from power plants, half the resulting acid rain, and half the resulting agricultural land damage. Cold fusion technology has the potential to require only one sixth the power input, and this will surely only improve as the technology develops and evolves. Even if we can get no direct power benefit from cold fusion, it can make nuclear power safer and thereby more feasible, nuclear power currently being the best low pollution energy source implemented so far. Cold fusion is real, there are marketable products out, and it holds great potential for our bright future.

Works Cited

Aspden, Harold. Modern Aether Science. London: The Camelot Press, 1972.

Manning, Jeane. "Cold Fusion Breakthrough: Have 15,00 Energy Pros in Anaheim Seen the Light of a New Era?" kbmorgan.com. 1996. KB Morgan. 23 March 2009 .

O'Leary, Brian and Stephen Kaplan. "Miracle in the Void: The New Energy Revolution." LightParty.com. The Light Party. 26 March 2009 .

Wicherink, Jan. "Chapter 4 The Zero Point Field." Souls of Distortion. 25 June 2004. 20 March 2009 .