Development of advanced concepts for nuclear processes in deuterated metals. Final report

An experimental program sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) was undertaken at SRI International to explore the central idea proposed by Fleischmann et al. that heat, and possibly nuclear products, could be created in palladium lattices under electrolytic conditions. Three types of experiments were performed to determine the factors that control the extent of deuterium (D) loading in the Pd lattice and to search for unusual calorimetric and nuclear effects. The overall conclusions of the loading studies are that, by careful control of the electrode pretreatment, the electrolyte composition, and the current density, Pd can be loaded to an atomic ratio D/Pd ∼ 1 and this loading may be sustained for periods of weeks. Accurate, closed cell, state-of-the-art, mass flow calorimeters were designed, constructed, and calibrated. Extended calorimetric studies have confirmed the presence of a heat source that may be observed when certain criteria are met. Rigorous attempts have been made to anticipate, exclude and define quantitative upper limits on artifacts and systematic error sources that may give the appearance of excess power. None of the artifactual sources considered an account for the excess power and heat observed. It is therefore concluded, tentatively, that the source of excess energy is an unexpected, and as yet unexplained, property of the D/Pd system. Further, the excess energy observed exceeds that of known chemical processes by two or more orders of magnitude. Limited nuclear detection capability was included within this first project phase