Robust Performance Validation of LENR Energy Generators

K.S. Grabowski, D.L. Knies

Naval Research Laboratory, Washington DC

M.E. MelichNaval Postgraduate School, Monterey CA

A.E. MoserNova Research Inc., Alexandria, VA

D.J. NagelThe George Washington University, Washington, DC

ICCF16, Chennai, India

6-11 Feb 2011

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Motivation

Develop a robust test for a “Black Box” device, to show that more energy is produced than can be explained by conventional physics and chemistry.

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Control Volume Description

DUT: Device Under Test

Energyout = ∫[ Heatout - Heatin - Fuelin - (I*V)in ] dt - Estored

water, air, photons, microwaves, etc.

water, gases, radiation

hydrogen, coolant

electrochemical power, internal heater

capacitor, batteries, chemical reactant with air as oxidizer

(I,V) in

Heatin Heatout

Fuelin

DUT

Estored

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Main Features of LENR Calorimeters

Isoperibolic Single Wall Double Wall Seebeck

Mass Flow

Heat Flow

Ice

Principle Mechanism

Heat Conductivity

Heat Conductivity

Heat Conductivity

Heat Capacity

Heat Conductivity

Heat Capacity

Hotter Region

Source electrolyte

Source jacket

Inside of Barrier

Source jacket

Metal Plate Source

Colder Region

Source jacket

Outer bath

Outside of barrier

Flowing fluid

Source and jacket

Ice-water

Measured Power Power Power Power Power Energy

Sensors Temperature Temperature Temperature Temperature

& flow Temperature Weight

Signals Voltage Voltage Voltage Voltage Voltage Voltage

Many types of calorimeters are applied to LENR research, but for testing of “black box” devices of variable size and shape, the mass flow type is more simple and flexible.

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Mass Flow Calorimeter Concept for Gas Loading Cell

DUTWater in(Tin, Jin)

Water out(Tout, Jout)

Gas in(m/t)

ElectricalPower in

(I*V)

Energyout = ∫[(Tout - Tin)·Cp·J - m/t·H - (I*V)in] dt - Estored

(gas burned)(heat capacity of water) (conservative estimate, e.g., gasoline)

Estored

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Potential Energy Storage(Important for “Black Box” Validation)

0.1

1

10

100

1000

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

H2 @2200 psi

GasolineLiThermite (Fe

2O

3 + 2Al)

NiHLi ion battery

grav

imet

ric e

nerg

y de

nsity

(M

J/kg

)

volumetric energy density (MJ/L)

1 L (~800 g) 35 MJ(~10 h @ 1 kW)

1 L (~15 g) 2.1 MJ(~30 min @ 1 kW)

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How to Overcome Estored?

• If possible, ascertain contents of “Black Box” before and after test to limit quantity of stored energy available

• Otherwise, must consider worst case scenario, requiring:– Knowledge of mass and volume of “Black Box”

– High power output device (i.e., > kW), compared to inputs

– Long time measurements (days?) if at lower power

– Limited mass and volume available for fuel

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Flow and T Requirements for Water

0.1

1

10

100

1000

0.01 0.1 1

1 10

T (

K)

Flow (L/s)

Flow (gpm)

0.03

0.1

0.3

1

3

10

30 kW

Power = Flow··Cp·T; ·Cp = 4.2 kJ·L-1·K-1

T(K) = 0.24 Power(kW) / Flow(L/s)

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Flow and T Requirements for Water

0.1

1

10

100

1000

0.01 0.1 1

1 10

T (

K)

Flow (L/s)

Flow (gpm)

0.03

0.1

0.3

1

3

10

30 kW

Power = Flow··Cp·T; ·Cp = 4.2 kJ·L-1·K-1

T(K) = 0.24 Power(kW) / Flow(L/s)

To overcome Estored in practical time

- 5 hrs- 1L gasoline- 2 kW ave. P

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Flow and T Requirements for Water

0.1

1

10

100

1000

0.01 0.1 1

1 10

T (

K)

Flow (L/s)

Flow (gpm)

0.03

0.1

0.3

1

3

10

30 kW

Power = Flow··Cp·T; ·Cp = 4.2 kJ·L-1·K-1

T(K) = 0.24 Power(kW) / Flow(L/s)

To overcome TC precision (± 1K), flow must be limited for given Power output

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Flow and T Requirements for Water

0.1

1

10

100

1000

0.01 0.1 1

1 10

T (

K)

Flow (L/s)

Flow (gpm)

0.03

0.1

0.3

1

3

10

30 kW

Power = Flow··Cp·T; ·Cp = 4.2 kJ·L-1·K-1

T(K) = 0.24 Power(kW) / Flow(L/s)

Added range with precision RTD (±0.2K)

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• Repeated measurements to document precision of each sensor

• Reasonable standards to document accuracy, such as weighing known volume of water on a mass balance, or using multiple pressure gauges

• Digital mass flow sensor calibrated with stop watch and mass balance or graduated cylinder, and/or against analog flow meter

• T sensors measured collectively in stirred ice and boiling water baths

• I*V power meter should measure known power source and load, and its bandwidth verified. High frequency capability must be demonstrated.

• Volume and T of hydrogen storage bottle must be known, and pressure measured with suitable precision. Pressure response to T changes should be documented. If gas employed becomes liquefied at storage pressure, then mass of gas in tank must be measured instead.

Calibration of all Sensors Required

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Testing of Measurement Apparatus

DUT

Electric Water Heater

Water in Water out

• A known heat source should substitute for DUT to document performance of measurement apparatus

• Parallel configuration is preferred, since flow requirements may be incompatible with serial flow

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Redundancy

• Redundancy needed for sensors, as they sometimes fail or are impacted by environmental factors

• Orthogonal methodology should be used to overcome common mode failures, for example:

– Thermocouples are sensitive to ground loop problems, so an IR pyrometer which can be decoupled from apparatus is useful

– Pulses from digital flow meters may not be properly counted by computer, so analog meter (while less precise) can be indicator of error

• Such redundancy is needed for all critical parameters: T, water flow, V, I, gas flow

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Structure of Measurement ApparatusWater to drain

TC out (1)

TC out (2)

IR pyrometer spot for Tout

Water in

TC in (1)

TC in (2)

IR pyrometer spot for Tin

Pressure of Water in

Flow of Water in

conventional water heater,

or DUT

Pressure of Water out

Flow of Water out

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Apparatus in Preparation for Test

12 kW water heater

16 ch TC interface (0-10 V DC output)

Sensor manifolds

Analog flow meter

Water outlet

Water inlet

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Flow Calibration

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

1.2 103 1.4 103 1.6 103 1.8 103 2 103

GPM InGPM Out

Flo

w (

gpm

)

t (s)

Digin: 3.478 ± 0.008 (n=8)Digout: 3.484 ± 0.013 (n=8)Bucket: 3.456Analog: 3.5Average = 3.48 ± 0.02

Digin: 1.810 ± 0.008 (n=6)Digout: 1.823 ± 0.010 (n=6)Bucket: 1.761Analog: 1.8Average = 1.80 ± 0.03

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TC calibration

Ave stdev each TC = 0.033Ave T = -0.1 ± 0.3

98

98.5

99

99.5

100

100.5

101

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Boiling water, 14 TCs, 23 measurements each

ave

rag

e T

(°C

)

TC Channel

Ave stdev each TC = 0.099Ave T = 99.6 ± 0.4

-0.8-0.6-0.4-0.2

00.20.40.6

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Ice bath, 14 TCs, 19 measurements eacha

vera

ge

T (

°C)

TC Channel

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Calibrated Thermocouple Stability

26

27

28

29

30

31

Bath-3 Bath-1 Bath-2 Use-2 Baseline Use-1

TC_4TC_5

TC_6TC_7

TC_8TC_13

Ca

libra

ted

T (

°C)

TC Condition

Even after calibration, TCs in like environment show variability of ~1K during use. Use of matched pairs can help.Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited)

28

30

32

34

36

38

40

42

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

1.8 104 1.85 104 1.9 104 1.95 104 2 104 2.05 104

TC_5 calTC_4 calIR-T

Pin (kW)

GPM In

GPM Out

T (

°C)

P in

(kW), F

low

(gp

m)

time (s)

Mass Flow Measurement of Water Heater Power

500 s

Pin undersampled with power meter, as heater operates in “switching” mode, causing scatter in data.

Average Pin =5.07 ± 0.40 kW (± 8%)

Average flow while Pin ~5 kW: input = 1.780±0.006 gpm output = 1.958±0.006 (10% high?) analog meter = 1.77

T = 10.5 ± 0.1°C, based on averages of calibrated TC_4out and TC_5in. Output IR sensor also has T = 10.5 °C, after ~200 s.

Since output flow seems discrepant, use estimate of 1.775 gpm from input flow and analog meter. This provides a conservative measure of power.

Therefore, Pout = 4.91 ±0.05 kW, and Efficiency = 97 ± 8%

(Limited precision from high quality power meter)

5 kW easily measured

T: 10.5 ± 0.1°C

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Extra care must be taken during phase changesApparent Excess Heat vs. Dryness of Steam

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

0 5 10 15 20 25

"% Water in Steam (Volume Fraction)"

Ap

par

ent

Exc

ess

Hea

t (x

)

Heatout = Heatin

Only 5.8% of the volume fraction being condensed water will cause one to BELIEVE that

you have a 6x gain in power!

Challenge of Calorimetry with Steam:

Must Measure Steam Quality Accurately and Precisely

Summary

• NRL’s existing water input and output manifolds can measure a large heat input with high efficiency (97%)

• Requires care in use of sensors, including use of redundant, calibrated, and tested devices.

• Digital data collection provides means to rigorously validate performance of claimed LENR energy generators.

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The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or

position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government." This is in

accordance with DoDI 5230.29, January 8, 2009

Recommendations

• Design, conduct and analyze tests thoroughly, to withstand all anticipated questions and criticisms.

• Persons experienced in the types of measurements and instrumentation employed should participate in all phases of the tests.

• Redundant calibrated sensors and systems should be employed to measure all streams of energy and matter entering and departing the device under test.

• Signal-to-noise ratios of ten or more are required for all measurements to exclude the possibility of cumulative errors leading to a wrong conclusion.

• The test should be conducted for a sufficient continuous period to strongly exclude the possibility of stored chemicals generating the observed energy output.

• A thorough statistical data analysis should be conducted to determine the error associated with each measurement, and to compute an overall uncertainty in the energy gain.

• A separate “red team” of persons experienced in related laboratory measurements should critique the design and execution of the test, and the analysis of the results.

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