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.
