Periodic Reporting for period 4 - CleanHME (Clean Energy from Hydrogen-Metal Systems)
Reporting period: 2023-08-01 to 2025-01-31
The production of clean and renewable energy is a major concern of our society, with the demand rising at an alarming rate and fossil fuels responsible for the rising CO2 emission, the need for a viable industrial alternative that can meet with today’s exigence in terms of efficiency is more and more urgent.
This project was devoted to an alternative way of producing energy from hydrogen, apart from the classic high-temperature nuclear fusion that is the main topic of research in this field. The aim of our work was to establish Low Energy Nuclear Reactions as a new way to generate heat and electricity at affordable costs and with no harmful emissions.
The main objective of the CleanHME project was to develop a breakthrough advance in the development of a new generation of innovative, powerful thermal energy generators, where the energy is released in hydrogen interaction within metallic environments. This energy was called Hydrogen-Metal Energy or HME. The race for the technological mastering of HME is also actively concerning the USA, Japan, and China.
One of the objectives of the CleanHME Project was to develop methods to enhance the production of heat, to develop better Active Materials (AM), and to master the key parameters for their practical utilization, like their maximum lifetime, operation temperature, and gas pressure.
Based on previous experiments, it was assumed that HME results from radiation-free nuclear reactions strongly enhanced in metallic environments due to the electron screening effect. Changing the electronic structure of AMs by nano-structuring and exploiting specified crystal lattice defects can increase reaction rates by many orders of magnitude. Some other effects as resonance transitions can also contribute to observed power production. Therefore, accelerator experiments performed at the lowest possible beam energies to test the theories and check their predictions were scheduled. The project encompassed a combination of accelerator experimental data and gas-loading experiments carried out in special reactors at moderate temperatures.
The heat produced can be used directly for various heating uses and it can be converted into mechanical power and electricity for mobile and stationary applications. If it should be confirmed that this new form of energy works as expected, it has the potential to revolutionize the world energy balance with incommensurable positive consequences for the society, the competitiveness of the industry, the geopolitics. It can ultimately provide solutions to address the climate change challenge.
This project was devoted to an alternative way of producing energy from hydrogen, apart from the classic high-temperature nuclear fusion that is the main topic of research in this field. The aim of our work was to establish Low Energy Nuclear Reactions as a new way to generate heat and electricity at affordable costs and with no harmful emissions.
The main objective of the CleanHME project was to develop a breakthrough advance in the development of a new generation of innovative, powerful thermal energy generators, where the energy is released in hydrogen interaction within metallic environments. This energy was called Hydrogen-Metal Energy or HME. The race for the technological mastering of HME is also actively concerning the USA, Japan, and China.
One of the objectives of the CleanHME Project was to develop methods to enhance the production of heat, to develop better Active Materials (AM), and to master the key parameters for their practical utilization, like their maximum lifetime, operation temperature, and gas pressure.
Based on previous experiments, it was assumed that HME results from radiation-free nuclear reactions strongly enhanced in metallic environments due to the electron screening effect. Changing the electronic structure of AMs by nano-structuring and exploiting specified crystal lattice defects can increase reaction rates by many orders of magnitude. Some other effects as resonance transitions can also contribute to observed power production. Therefore, accelerator experiments performed at the lowest possible beam energies to test the theories and check their predictions were scheduled. The project encompassed a combination of accelerator experimental data and gas-loading experiments carried out in special reactors at moderate temperatures.
The heat produced can be used directly for various heating uses and it can be converted into mechanical power and electricity for mobile and stationary applications. If it should be confirmed that this new form of energy works as expected, it has the potential to revolutionize the world energy balance with incommensurable positive consequences for the society, the competitiveness of the industry, the geopolitics. It can ultimately provide solutions to address the climate change challenge.
Our research work was mainly focused on the interaction between Hydrogen and its isotopes in metallic materials at temperatures up to 1000°C. Such interactions have been reported to produce traces of helium, hinting at nuclear reactions. However, these reactions have never been observed directly with certainty and the theory behind this phenomenon is still debated amidst the scientific world.
Therefore, the accelerator experiments, performed under well defined and reproducible conditions, were one of the main issues of our project. They could demonstrate for the first time that that the probability of nuclear reactions occurring at thermal energies in metallic materials, enhanced by the electron screening effect, strongly depends on the crystal defects and impurities of the target samples used. Based on our studies applying positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS), we could conclude that crystal vacancy complexes decorated with hydrogen and oxygen atoms are responsible for this reaction-rate enhancing effect.
Furthermore, we found that the deuteron fusion reaction at thermal energies is dominated by a very narrow and strong nuclear resonance in 4He, which predominantly decays in a new reaction channel, the internal e+e- pair creation. Accelerator experiments also allowed for a direct observation of thermally protons emitted from the 2H(d,p)3H reaction. The corresponding theory could predict reaction rates for metallic samples used in the heat producing experiments, being a basis for industrial applications.
This work was carried out by testing small gas-loading reactors of different types to find optimal running conditions and choose appropriate active materials, reactors design, and operating modes. Key objectives were maximizing the power density (heat power/fuel mass) and find reliable start-up processes to obtain long-term stability of heat production.
Even if the experimental activities were initially slowed by the COVID pandemic, significant anomalous heat excesses (AHEs) were detected during several experiments. Indication of nuclear events, typically weak neutron emissions and strong anomalous exothermic reactions were detected during experiments based on Ni/Bi, Ni/Cu, Ni/Al, and other catalyzing elements both under hydrogen or deuterium atmosphere. Several potentially active materials were designed and tested in different laboratories of our consortium. In numerous successful experiments, large AHEs up to several watts were measured per 1g of tested materials. Especially, application of hydrotalcite powders filled with nanostructured metallic composites could be used for future commercial applications.
Detected AHEs produced promising coefficients of performance (COP) even if the most powerful exothermic reactions still last for relatively short periods. The power density achieved, however, is extremely promising, using also bigger reactors, which can scale up the effect.
The results of our project have been presented in several high impact scientific journals, although some of them are still under review or in preparation. Additionally, some special conferences have been also organized by the CleanHME consortium to disseminate our results. The most important of these is the International Conference on Nuclear Physics of Condensed Matter (ICCF 25), which took place in Szczecin from August 27-31, 2023. Furthermore, on September 5, 2024, we organized a workshop at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, where the latest research data obtained within the CleanHME project and similar research programs in Japan and the United States were presented to a general audience.
Therefore, the accelerator experiments, performed under well defined and reproducible conditions, were one of the main issues of our project. They could demonstrate for the first time that that the probability of nuclear reactions occurring at thermal energies in metallic materials, enhanced by the electron screening effect, strongly depends on the crystal defects and impurities of the target samples used. Based on our studies applying positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS), we could conclude that crystal vacancy complexes decorated with hydrogen and oxygen atoms are responsible for this reaction-rate enhancing effect.
Furthermore, we found that the deuteron fusion reaction at thermal energies is dominated by a very narrow and strong nuclear resonance in 4He, which predominantly decays in a new reaction channel, the internal e+e- pair creation. Accelerator experiments also allowed for a direct observation of thermally protons emitted from the 2H(d,p)3H reaction. The corresponding theory could predict reaction rates for metallic samples used in the heat producing experiments, being a basis for industrial applications.
This work was carried out by testing small gas-loading reactors of different types to find optimal running conditions and choose appropriate active materials, reactors design, and operating modes. Key objectives were maximizing the power density (heat power/fuel mass) and find reliable start-up processes to obtain long-term stability of heat production.
Even if the experimental activities were initially slowed by the COVID pandemic, significant anomalous heat excesses (AHEs) were detected during several experiments. Indication of nuclear events, typically weak neutron emissions and strong anomalous exothermic reactions were detected during experiments based on Ni/Bi, Ni/Cu, Ni/Al, and other catalyzing elements both under hydrogen or deuterium atmosphere. Several potentially active materials were designed and tested in different laboratories of our consortium. In numerous successful experiments, large AHEs up to several watts were measured per 1g of tested materials. Especially, application of hydrotalcite powders filled with nanostructured metallic composites could be used for future commercial applications.
Detected AHEs produced promising coefficients of performance (COP) even if the most powerful exothermic reactions still last for relatively short periods. The power density achieved, however, is extremely promising, using also bigger reactors, which can scale up the effect.
The results of our project have been presented in several high impact scientific journals, although some of them are still under review or in preparation. Additionally, some special conferences have been also organized by the CleanHME consortium to disseminate our results. The most important of these is the International Conference on Nuclear Physics of Condensed Matter (ICCF 25), which took place in Szczecin from August 27-31, 2023. Furthermore, on September 5, 2024, we organized a workshop at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, where the latest research data obtained within the CleanHME project and similar research programs in Japan and the United States were presented to a general audience.
The progress made within the project is very impressive, although further experiments are certainly still needed. We have already developed new materials and activation processes which showed extremely promising results in terms of large AHEs. We could also demonstrate different heat generators based on our gas loading experiments, which will support the future design of a commercial demonstrator of the new energy source. The accelerator experiments, especially observation of the new fusion reaction channel and the direct proton emission together with our theoretical work will surely help find more effective metallic materials, which are able to increase the heat production even by several orders of magnitude.
A working demonstration unit would open new perspectives for energy production in Europe and worldwide. A new source of green energy at low cost, easily available everywhere would allow for new industrial applications and the actual development of extremely efficient smart grids. Additionally, the total absence of climate affecting emissions from the HME generators could give a real, effective contribution to the containment of ongoing climate changes.
A working demonstration unit would open new perspectives for energy production in Europe and worldwide. A new source of green energy at low cost, easily available everywhere would allow for new industrial applications and the actual development of extremely efficient smart grids. Additionally, the total absence of climate affecting emissions from the HME generators could give a real, effective contribution to the containment of ongoing climate changes.