Aerogels can be formulated to block gamma rays and even cosmic rays.  An alternative to lead is listed in the Hyperian Spec. sheet, so why are we limiting our thinking to lead only.  Aerogels can withstand temperatures up to 3650°C.  This easily overcomes the limitation of the lead's melting point.  Aerogels made with aluminium oxide are known as alumina aerogels. These aerogels are used as catalysts, especially when "doped" with a metal different from Al. Nickelâ€"alumina aerogel is the most common combination.  The alumina aerogel's would have a large surface area for the reactions.  Also, aluminum oxide prevents the formation of large nickel clusters at high temperatures, which would reduce the surface area for the reactions and defeat the purpose of the nano-nickel.  Carbon nanotubes can also be grown with nickel nitrate hexahydrate through certain chemical vapor deposition techniques.

Gravock

If you flattened out the nano-structure of 1 gram of an aerogel and exposed it's surface area, it would cover an area the size of a football field (reference video: QUEST Lab: Aerogel).  LENR's occur at the surface and not in the bulk of the material.  Aerogels are a perfect candidate for LENR's.

Gravock

@Loner and Gravityblock,

My comment on the intriguing ideas suggested by MileHigh was solely concerning the 600 degree e-cat.

Additionally I can't see anything wrong with the original solid lead e-cat working below 327.5 °C,
which Loner was making questionable as to functionality, as did I myself prior to the idea of a
very small active reactore core, thus making room for enough lead to absorb and generate the 10KW heat.

So from this perspective I am willing to accept the LENR reaction to conform to the possibility that the e-cat
still work within the norms of nuclear reactions for the energy output calculation, as MileHigh puts it.

With the risk of boring you with old information, lets's have a look at the limits that Andrea Rossi have to take into consideration.

Lead melts at 327.5 °C and nickel at 1453°C.

As in the case of the old e-cat where the heat is produced by gamma emission absorbed by solid lead,
there is no way to generate heat above 327.5 °C without melting the lead.

So if the new e-cat prototype that Andrea Rossi is testing right now generates around 600 °C,
he is either using a melted lead system around the reactor core suggested by MileHigh,
or some other type of shielding, like the aerogels gravityblock mentioned.

We have to keep in mind that there is no way of using water as a cooler to keep the lead from melting and at the same time
making the gamma emission heat the lead absorber to or above 327.5 °C.

Thus the upper limit of around 250 °C steam from the older version of the e-cat obsviously is caused by the use of a solid lead absorber.

Without the need for a solid lead absorber, Andrea Rossi theoretically only have to keep the reaction below the melting point of nickel, 1453 °C,
but I have a feeling that the present temperature limit applied by Mr.Rossi in his new prototype may be due to unfavourable changes
in the characteristics of the nickel nano powder above 600 °C.

Gwandau


Below is how NASA think the E-cat looks like:

Quote from: gravityblock on June 10, 2012, 06:48:27 PM
If you flattened out the nano-structure of 1 gram of an aerogel and exposed it's surface area, it would cover an area the size of a football field (reference video: QUEST Lab: Aerogel).  LENR's occur at the surface and not in the bulk of the material.  Aerogels are a perfect candidate for LENR's.

Gravock

Gravityblock,

I agree, if aerogels doped with nickel did exist, that would certainly be a plausible future material for e-cats and their successors.

When using aerogels as gamma ray absorbers, the ability to absorb still is related to thickness:

"Gamma-ray shielding materials should be of high density and high atomic number so that they have
a high total linear attenuation coefficient and a high photoelectric absorption probability."


Gwandau

Just wanted to add some links I found interesting.

For example, has this Defkalion report about ongoing third party tests already been posted here?
I can't remember seeing it.

http://www.defkalion-energy.com/files/2012-05_StatusPicturesFinal.pdf


This is a page I found seething with LENR news of all kinds:

http://renewable.50webs.com/fusion.html


And this is a funny E-cat steam calculator:

http://lenr.qumbu.com/jsxhelp.php


Enjoy!


Gwandau