Robust Performance Validation of LENR Energy Generators K.S. Grabowski, D.L. Knies Naval Research Laboratory, Washington DC M.E. Melich Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey CA A.E. Moser Nova Research Inc., Alexandria, VA D.J. Nagel The George Washington University, Washington, DC ICCF16, Chennai, India 6-11 Feb 2011 Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) 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. Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) Control Volume Description electrochemical power, internal heater hydrogen, coolant water, air, photons, microwaves, etc. Heatin DUT Heatout water, gases, radiation Estored capacitor, batteries, chemical reactant with air as oxidizer Energyout = ∫[ Heatout - Heatin - Fuelin - (I*V)in ] dt - Estored DUT: Device Under Test Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) Main Features of LENR Calorimeters Single Wall Heat Conductivity Isoperibolic Double Wall Heat Conductivity Seebeck Heat Conductivity Mass Flow Heat Flow Ice Heat Capacity Heat Conductivity Heat Capacity Source electrolyte Source jacket Inside of Barrier Source jacket Metal Plate Source Source jacket Outer bath Outside of barrier Flowing fluid Source and jacket Icewater Power Power Power Power Energy Sensors Temperature Temperature Temperature Temperature Weight Signals Voltage Voltage Voltage Power Temperature & flow Voltage Voltage Voltage Principle Mechanism Hotter Region Colder Region Measured 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. Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) Mass Flow Calorimeter Concept for Gas Loading Cell DUT Water in (Tin, Jin) Water out (Tout, Jout) Estored Electrical Power in (I*V) Gas in (m/t) Energyout = ∫[(Tout - Tin)·Cp·J - m/t·H - (I*V)in] dt - Estored (heat capacity of water) (gas burned) (conservative estimate, e.g., gasoline) Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) Potential Energy Storage (Important for “Black Box” Validation) H2 @2200 psi Gasoline Li Thermite (Fe 2O3 + 2Al) gravimetric energy density (MJ/kg) 1000 NiH Li ion battery 1 L (~800 g) 35 MJ (~10 h @ 1 kW) 100 10 1 L (~15 g) 2.1 MJ (~30 min @ 1 kW) 1 0.1 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 volumetric energy density (MJ/L) Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) 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 Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) Flow and T Requirements for Water Power = Flow··Cp·T; ·Cp = 4.2 kJ·L-1·K-1 T(K) = 0.24 Power(kW) / Flow(L/s) Flow (gpm) 1 1000 10 30 kW T (K) 100 10 3 10 1 0.3 1 0.1 0.03 0.1 0.01 0.1 Flow (L/s) Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) 1 Flow and T Requirements for Water Power = Flow··Cp·T; ·Cp = 4.2 kJ·L-1·K-1 T(K) = 0.24 Power(kW) / Flow(L/s) Flow (gpm) 1 1000 10 30 kW T (K) 100 10 3 10 To overcome Estored in practical time - 5 hrs - 1L gasoline - 2 kW ave. P 1 0.3 1 0.1 0.03 0.1 0.01 0.1 Flow (L/s) Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) 1 Flow and T Requirements for Water Power = Flow··Cp·T; ·Cp = 4.2 kJ·L-1·K-1 T(K) = 0.24 Power(kW) / Flow(L/s) Flow (gpm) 1 1000 10 30 kW T (K) 100 To overcome TC precision (± 1K), flow must be limited for given Power output 10 3 10 1 0.3 1 0.1 0.03 0.1 0.01 0.1 Flow (L/s) Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) 1 Flow and T Requirements for Water Power = Flow··Cp·T; ·Cp = 4.2 kJ·L-1·K-1 T(K) = 0.24 Power(kW) / Flow(L/s) Flow (gpm) 1 1000 10 30 kW T (K) 100 10 3 10 1 Added range with precision RTD (±0.2K) 0.3 1 0.1 0.03 0.1 0.01 0.1 Flow (L/s) Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) 1 Calibration of all Sensors Required • 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. Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) Testing of Measurement Apparatus • 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 DUT Water in Water out Electric Water Heater Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) 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 Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) Structure of Measurement Apparatus IR pyrometer spot for Tin Water to drain TC out (2) TC in (1) Flow of Water out TC in (2) Pressure of Water in conventional water heater, or DUT Flow of Water in Pressure of Water out Water in Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) TC out (1) IR pyrometer spot for Tout Apparatus in Preparation for Test Analog flow meter Water outlet 16 ch TC interface (0-10 V DC output) 12 kW water heater Sensor manifolds Water inlet Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) Flow Calibration GPM In GPM Out Digin: 3.478 ± 0.008 (n=8) Digout: 3.484 ± 0.013 (n=8) Bucket: 3.456 Analog: 3.5 Average = 3.48 ± 0.02 4 3.5 Flow (gpm) 3 2.5 Digin: 1.810 ± 0.008 (n=6) Digout: 1.823 ± 0.010 (n=6) Bucket: 1.761 Analog: 1.8 Average = 1.80 ± 0.03 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 1.2 103 1.4 103 1.6 103 1.8 103 2 103 t (s) Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) average T (°C) TC calibration 0.6 0.4 0.2 0 -0.2 -0.4 -0.6 -0.8 average T (°C) 101 Ice bath, 14 TCs, 19 measurements each Ave stdev each TC = 0.033 Ave T = -0.1 ± 0.3 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 TC Channel Boiling water, 14 TCs, 23 measurements each 100.5 100 Ave stdev each TC = 0.099 Ave T = 99.6 ± 0.4 99.5 99 98.5 98 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 TC Channel Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) Calibrated Thermocouple Stability TC_4 TC_5 TC_6 TC_7 TC_8 TC_13 31 Calibrated T (°C) 30 29 28 27 26 Bath-3 Bath-1 Bath-2 Use-2 Baseline Use-1 TC Condition Even after calibration, TCs in like environment show variability of ~1K during use. Use of matched pairsDistribution can help. Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) Mass Flow Measurement of Water Heater Power 42 Pin (kW) GPM In GPM Out TC_5 cal TC_4 cal IR-T 8 7 500 s 40 38 T (°C) 5 36 4 T: 10.5 ± 0.1°C 3 32 2 30 1 28 1.8 104 1.85 104 1.9 104 1.95 104 time (s) 2 104 0 2.05 104 P in (kW), Flow (gpm) 6 34 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 Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) Challenge of Calorimetry with Steam: Must Measure Steam Quality Accurately and Precisely Extra care must be taken during phase changes Apparent Excess Heat vs. Dryness of Steam 7 Apparent Excess Heat (x) 6 5 Only 5.8% of the volume fraction being condensed water will cause one to BELIEVE that you have a 6x gain in power! 4 3 2 Heatout = Heatin 1 0 0 5 10 15 "% Water in Steam (Volume Fraction)" 20 25 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. 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 Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited) 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. Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited)