From: ames!FNALD.FNAL.GOV!DROEGE
Subject: October 2 Experiment Status
Reply-To: ames!FNALD.FNAL.GOV!DROEGE
Organization: Sci.physics.fusion/Mail Gateway
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 20:37:19 GMT

This is the status of our current P&F type experiment.  2 October 1992 

Executive summary:  More data is presented.  The "anomalous heat" level 
continues to increase.
   
Cell 4A2
Cathode Electrode: 1 cm x 2 cm x 1 mm, Pd ground surface
Anode Electrode: Wound Takahashi style, #30 Pt, 50% coverage, 1 cm by 2 cm
                 both sides.  Anode to cathode spacing, 2.5 mm.
Electrolyte: 30 cc Saturated D2O + LiOD + 3 cc H2O
Charging Profile: 170 ma per sq cm 
Duration: Now charging for 23 days  
Initial D/Pd ratio: .94
Heater + Cell Power: 10.151
Cell Voltage: Presently aprox 3.4 volts  
Closed Cell:Engelhard Palladium Catalyst D
Temperature: 24 C  Calorimeter shell, Cell temperature aprox. 30 C.
Accumulated "anomalous heat": 58,000+ joules

Date    Power    Source     Notes
        Watts

7 Sept   0.0008   Out/In     Empty cell calibration.  No source effect.
9 Sept  -0.0010   Out        Cell in, zero current calibration
9 Sept  -0.1902   Out        Charging Palladium.  
9 Sept  -0.0163   Out        Late Charging, almost balanced.
10 Sept -0.0004   Out        Full Current Operation
11 Sept  0.0002   In         Start Source Out/In at Full Operating Current
12 Sept                      Data Lost
13 Sept                      Data Lost
14 Sept  0.0092   In         Full 24 hour data
15 Sept  0.0130   Out        Full 24 hour data
16 Sept  0.0158   In         Some data lost due to UPS failure.
17 Sept  0.0173   In         Replaced UPS               
18 Sept  0.0239   Out   
19 Sept  0.0204   In         Partial data is suspect.  Switch to 20 second
20 Sept  0.0251   Out        data collection interval.
21 Sept  0.0271   In
22 Sept  0.0312   Out
23 Sept  0.0372   In 
24 Sept  0.0409   Out
25 Sept  0.0497   In
26 Sept  0.0513   Out        Corrected last point, shell servo sick
27 Sept  0.0551   In         Corrected data, shell servo sick
28 Sept  0.0570   Out        Partial correction, shell servo fixed
29 Sept  0.0608   In  
30 Sept  0.0649   Out

The dates are for running periods which started at roughly 22:15 on the 
indicated date.  As of 2 October 10 AM we had accumulated 58 killojoules since 
17 Sept when the data collection program was restarted.  About 6 killojoules 
will have to be subtracted from this total for the shell servo incident, but I 
also need to add something for the period before 17 September.  So the 58 
killojoule number is not far off. 

Early in the morning on 27 September, the shell servo hung.  Thermoelectric 
coolers pump more heat as more current is put through them.  To a point, then 
they heat everything.  So early in the morning the shell servo tried too hard 
to cool the shell and as a result heated the shell 4 C above ambient.  This 
caused the addition of about 40 mw to the measured "anomalous heat".  For the 
most part, I have been able to reconstruct everything, and the 26, 27, and 28 
Sept power numbers should be good to a few mw.  I put a limiter on the 
current, so this won't happen again.  This makes the data more interesting as 
now there is a steady increase.  

We have had a number of "big" "anomalous heat" pulses.  The largest seen so 
far was 200 mw for 2 minutes.  Since the rms noise of the 20 second data 
points is 15 mw, a 200 mw pulse sticks out like a sore thumb.  Since I only 
see what is going on about 10 hours a day, I could miss a lot of these pulses.  
So far I have not written code to scan for them.  I could almost argue that 
the increase in power level is due to the increasing frequency of these 
pulses.

It is of some concern that the power level shows such a steady increase.  I 
keep looking at all that data for something that is changing.  But sometimes, 
as with the shell servo hang, it takes a few days.

Otis Port tells me I made the "In Business This Week" page of Business Week.  
I have not yet seen it.  

Tom Droege 

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