David J. Nagel, Research Professor at The George Washington University, presented the International Society for Measurement & Control (ISA) EXPO 2008 Keynote/Rimbach Lecture on October 15th at ISA EXPO 2008 in Houston, Texas (October 14 – 16). See: http://www.isa.org/expotemplate.cfm
Rimbach Lecture 2008 – Instrumentation for Low Energy Nuclear Reactions
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM, Room 301
Description:
Two chemists announced in 1989 that they could produce nuclear reactions and energy under ordinary conditions of temperature and pressure. They were Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons. Their reactions were termed “cold fusion”, even though no one really knew then what nuclear reactions might be occurring. In the years since 1989, hundreds of experiments have been done on what is now called Low Energy Nuclear Reactions, or the Fleischmann-Pons Effect. The experiments have involved electrochemical, gas phase, plasma and beam interactions with solids. Power production and new materials have been reported in many studies. The total body of experimental evidence shows that it is indeed possible to produce nuclear reactions at low input energies. However, the field remains controversial and poorly understood. There is no satisfactory theory now for what has been observed. Past and current experiments require sophisticated instrumentation, including both multiple sensors and automated control of relevant conditions. Many people, including those in several start-up companies, believe that understanding, control, optimization and commercial exploitation of this new means to trigger nuclear reactions will follow in the coming years. That could lead to a new industry that manufactures individual nuclear power units for homes and offices, which produce very small amounts of prompt radiation and negligible radioactivity. The units could have many uses, notably the production of clean drinking water. If the anticipated advances occur, including significant scaling up in power levels, a new nuclear reactor industry will emerge. Sensing and control instrumentation will be as critical in that industry as they are in current energy production and process control industries.
The ISA reported:
“Wednesday’s keynote address was given by cold fusion expert Dr. David J. Nagel of George Washington University and drew a large crowd. Dr. Nagel’s presentation, entitled ‘Instrumentation for Low Energy Nuclear Reactions,’ inspired much discussion and dialogue surrounding the importance of cold fusion technology and application.”
Another ISA report by Jim Strothman described Nagel’s lecture:
“. . . To develop the ‘promise’ — which includes LENR technologies having a wide-range of possibilities, from replacing batteries to providing clean water — ‘the need for instrumentation is urgent. There has not been (instruments) we need to pursue this experimentally,’ [Nagel] said.
Even so, ‘there has been a lot going on’ in the scientific world, Nagel said. ‘Over 1,000 papers have been written. How many are worth reading? A few hundred.’
What excites scientists, and already proven many times, is low-energy nuclear reactions provide what is known as ‘heat after death,’ a continual flow of energy long after the reaction occurs.
‘It’s as if you drive from New York to Washington, D.C. You turn the car off at Baltimore, and you’ll still get to Washington,” he said. ‘We don’t understand why (excess energy is available). We just know it is.’
With LENR, ‘nuclear reactions are occurring at modest temperatures — the experimental evidence is amazing. And there’s no noticeable nuclear waste,’ Nagel said. ‘So you can drive something (like a home appliance) and not make a mess.'”