it would also explain the false starts. the solidox might have started burning, then gone out on its own from cooling too much.
On Tue, Oct 18, 2011 at 2:23 PM, Daniel Rocha <danieldi...@gmail.com> wrote: > Jed, how about this: > > Enrico Billi tells us that they weighed the E-Cat before and after, but not > why it mysteriously gained a kilogram of weight. I can offer a plausible > explanation. > > On the bottom of the E-Cat housing sits a relatively large volume enclosure, > the reactor module, which we are told houses a small reactor core and large > amounts of lead shielding. This volume was not opened so its contents were > not revealed. In fact, neither were its dimensions given and must be > inferred from a photograph and a few other measurements. It is safe to say > that it is at least 10 liters and could be as much as 20 liters. > > Enrico says that there were no smells of anything burning, but one of the > best candidates for a hidden fuel would be and alcohol like methanol or > ethanol. These are very pure chemicals that burn to produce mostly steam and > a small amount of carbon dioxide. Their combustion is odorless. Their > combustion products could easily have been emitted through the reactor > output hose and never be detected. CO2 is odorless. > > Of course the obvious question is how would it receive oxygen. The not so > obvious answer is a relatively unknown, but actually ubiquitous technology > called a chemical oxygen generator. Referred to in the industry as an oxygen > candle, it consists of a mixture of a strong oxidizer and a powdered metal. > When ignited at about 600C, it smolders slowly, giving off heat and copious > amounts of excess oxygen. This is the same process that provides the > emergency oxygen in commercial aircraft. Its used in mining, emergency > operations, any place a very compact and stable form of oxygen is required. > Its storage density, in the case of a Lithium Perchlorate formulation, > equals that of liquid oxygen! > > About 2 liters of propanol, and 2 liters of a Li Perchlorate formulation > could provide more enthalpy than was measured in the Oct. 6 demonstration. > The propanol, which boils at 98C would have started to emit vapor just > before the water came to a boil during its warm up phase. A resistance > heater would ignite the oxy candle and the two gasses would meet at the top > of the housing, which is the underside of the heat exchange fins. That > surface would be plated with nickel or platinum to catalytically help > combust the two gasses, just as occurs in an inexpensive camping heater. > > This would burn for several hours, at which time a covert signal would tell > Rossi its time to shut down the reactor, hence his need to be present. > During the time the reactor is allowed to cool, small openings would allow > water to seep into the reactor module case and make up the weight of the > lost fuel and oxidizer, possibly the same openings which vented the > combustion products. This would not be an exact process, hence the > requirement of weighing with inaccurate scales, and the need to overlook a 1 > kilogram weight gain. > > This example accounts for all of the observations that were reported, as > well as the electrical and plumbing connections that were seen. It explains > the mysterious weight gain, the need for such a prolonged warm up phase, and > the need to stop the demonstration after just 4 hours.