From: Jed Rothwell <72240.1256@compuserve.com>
Subject: Sounds plausible to me
Reply-To: Jed Rothwell <72240.1256@compuserve.com>
Organization: Sci.physics.fusion/Mail Gateway
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 20:59:54 GMT

To: >INTERNET:fusion@zorch.sf-bay.org

Tom Droege asked me:

"I would like to remind Jed Rothwell that the Nickel cell heat went away with
a Mercury bubbler between the cell and the catalyst.  You tell me how the
cell knew the catalyst was there.  Perhaps it is an ESP experiment!"

...and Chris Phoenix came back with an interesting and plausible idea that
might answer the question:

"Maybe the cell knew the *bubbler* was there, not the catalyst.  I don't know
how a mercury bubbler is constructed, but it seems there must be a
gas-mercury interface on both sides of the bubbler. I've heard that mercury
evaporates slowly at room temperature..."

Right. Maybe you should try 6 or 8 different kinds of bubblers. I think
people use oil bubblers, but that is a definite no no with a nickel cell. You
want a viscous, non-organic liquid. I would try no bubbler (that is, a tube
directly from the cell to another cell with a recombiner in it). If a person
was to work on that particular question, full-time for 6 months or so, I am
pretty sure he would find the answer. I would start with a whole series of
experiments, and find out a lot more about bubblers than I now know, which is
zero. I would also try exposing a working, open cell to mercury fumes, to see
if that kills the reaction. It does not take much to murder this reaction. If
these cells are ever commercialized, they will have to be sealed like
rechargeable batteries or hard disks.

I don't know why nickel cells don't work well with recombiners. I don't like
recombiners anyway, they cause endless trouble, and when they fail they can
cause grave danger. I would never fool with one at this stage. If anyone out
there is determined to use a recombiner with a nickel cell, wait a couple of
weeks until I reach Bob Bush and ask him what kind he uses. Why reinvent the
wheel? Find out what works, you can save months of heartbreaking wasted time.

This raises a Very Important Point: there is a lot to be learned here.
Furthermore, we cannot go chasing off after every weird anomaly that crops up
along the way. Why does a mercury bubbler + recombiner poison a nickel cell?
Who knows? Is it worth the time and effort required to find out? Nope. I
don't think so. Maybe later, after we all get 10 times input excess heat.
Right now, the best thing to do is to make an open nickel cell that works
splendidly: way, way above I*V. After you wring it out, then go back to
recombiners, or -- better yet -- fuel cells. In all cases, learn from what
other people have done, don't waste your time trying to find a recombiner
that works if other people already know.

I just heard from another nickel experimenter who reports "substantial
recombination" on the cathode, along with substantial excess heat above I*V.
Actually, if we can most of the gas to recombine on the cathode every time
with assurance, it would be a great thing: we will not need to worry so much
about explosive gas. Notoya and others believe that the reaction occurs
midway through the electrolytic decomposition of water, during the formation
of an intermetalic intermediate compound. If they are right, then by time you
get free hydrogen and oxygen, the reaction is over, you might as well put the
two back together then and there. They say there is no need to build up a
supply of free hydrogen at the metal surface or near surface, and you
certainly do not want free oxygen in the cell.

My hunch is that recombination on the cathode occurs with certain cathode
geometries, but not with others. Perhaps it is also a function of the cathode
surface temperature. I do not have a handle on the problem.

- Jed


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