Energy Catalyzer

The Energy Catalyzer (also called E-Cat) is a claimed cold fusion reactor[1][2] devised by inventor Andrea Rossi[3] with support from the late physicist Sergio Focardi.[4][5] An Italian patent, which received a formal but not a technical examination, describes the apparatus as a "process and equipment to obtain exothermal reactions, in particular from nickel and hydrogen".[6] Rossi and Focardi said the device worked by infusing heated hydrogen into nickel powder, transmuting it into copper and producing excess heat.[7][8] An international patent application[1] received an unfavorable international preliminary report on patentability in 2011 because it was adjudged to "offend against the generally accepted laws of physics and established theories".[9]

The device has been the subject of demonstrations and tests several times, and commented on by various academics and others. No independent tests have ever been made, and no peer-reviewed tests of the device have ever been published. Steve Featherstone wrote in Popular Science that by the summer of 2012 Rossi's "outlandish claims" for the E-Cat seemed "thoroughly debunked".[10]

  1. ^ a b Patent application WO 2009125444, Andrea Rossi, "Method and Apparatus for carrying out nickel and hydrogen exothermal reactions", published 2009-10-15 .
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference zyga was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Mark Gibbs (17 October 2011). "Hello Cheap Energy, Hello Brave New World". Forbes. the E-Cat is a cold fusion (CF) device (the inventor, Andrea Rossi, prefers to term the technology 'Low Energy Nuclear Reaction' which appears to be the same thing as CF but a less contentious phrasing).
  4. ^ Lisa Zyga (20 January 2011). "Italian Scientists claim to have demonstrated cold fusion". PhysOrg. Andrea Rossi and Sergio Focardi of the University of Bologna announced that they developed a cold fusion device
  5. ^ Peter Clarke (24 January 2011). "Italian scientists claim cold fusion success". EE Times. Andrea Rossi and Sergio Focardi of the physics department of the University of Bologna. The two claim to have developed a cold fusion reactor
  6. ^ "processo ed apparecchiatura per ottenere reazioni esotermiche, in particolare da nickel ed idrogeno" [process and equipment to obtain exothermal reactions, in particular from nickel and hydrogen]. Italian Office for Patents and Trademarks. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2011. Patent Number 0001387256, Deposited 9 April 2008, Issued 6 April 2011, Inventor: Andrea Rossi.
  7. ^ S. Focardi; A. Rossi (22 March 2010). "A new energy source from nuclear fusion". CiteSeerX 10.1.1.380.5549.
  8. ^ Deotto, Fabio (19 January 2011). "Fusione fredda realizzata a Bologna. Sarà vero?" (in Italian). Daily Wired.
  9. ^ Lisa Zyga (20 January 2011), "Italian Scientists claim to have demonstrated cold fusion", Physorg.com
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference popsci2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).