289) A different claim for excess heat

Ludwik Kowalski; 4/2/2006
Department of Mathematical Sciences
Montclair State University, Upper Montclair, NJ, 07043

This item is based on what has been reported in 2005 by Sterling D. Allan and Adrian Akau, in Pure Energy Systems News. Here is the URL for this article:

http://pesn.com/2005/06/26/9600116_Naudin_MAHG/

1) The MAHG stands for “Moller’s Atomic Hydrogen Generator” that Jean Louis Naudin is experimenting with. Alexander Frolov, from St. Petersburg, is another inventor of this energy producing device. His email message, quoted in the article, states: “I am happy to see independent positive confirmation of my invention. Moller knew nothing about this way but he proposed to work on this topic and he paid 50% of cost. Also we have contract about 50-50 on the topic (including authorship).” Frolov also tells us that testing of the device is planned in Australia.

2) The excess energy, according to Moller, is somehow released when molecular hydrogen is turned into the atomic hydrogen and then back into the molecular hydrogen. Any chemist would say that this is not possible, unless the excess energy comes from another source? What is the source? In the case of CMNS that source is believed to nuclear reactions. Moller seems to thing that empty space supplies “free” energy.

3) As I wrote in another context, it is pointless to speculate about sources of excess heat before reality of that excess is validated. Naudin claims to generate excess heat much more efficiently then those who performed Mizuno type experiments. The article refers to the 526% efficiency. That implies that 5.26 joules of energy appears at the output for every joule that enters the system to sustain the process. Referring to this result the authors write: “This is the first known replication and collaboration of the work done by Nicholas Moller in conjunction with Alexander V. Frolov of Faraday Lab Ltd. of St. Petersburg, Russia in January 2003.” Here is how that collaboration is described by N. Moller (February 2004) on Naudin’s website <http://jlnlabs.imars.com/mahg/mahg1.htm>

“After having studied in detail, the work on atomic hydrogen that Irving Langmuir performed 80 years ago (see article Irving Langmuir & Atomic Hydrogen), Mr. Nicholas Moller of Spectrum Investments Ltd decided to experiment with Langmuirs findings in greater depth. To this effect Spectrum Investments Ltd. contracted with Faraday Lab Ltd. of St. Petersburg, Russia in January 2003 in order to verify Langmuirs proof of concept. After a constructive co-operation, Mr. Alexander Frolov, Director of Faraday Lab Ltd. confirmed Mr. Moller’s assumption that recombination of atomic hydrogen can be used as physical mechanism for the operation of a practical high efficiency heat source/generator.

The main point was to determine what method of the hydrogen dissociation could be efficient. Several different methods (plasma welding, Pd proton-exchange membranes, high-frequency glow discharge and direct heating) were discussed. Agreement was reached on the design of a test bench with a special gas-filled tube, based on a standard design of a powerful vacuum tube. Hydrogen filling of 0.1 atm and dew point -60 C degrees was agreed with sub-contractors and design for the tube was completed (see photo and diagram below).” The diagram of the Moller/Frolov device is shown but my background is not sufficient to understand it. The text below the diagram uses familiar technical terms but it is not clear to me at all. A lot of words and numbers but not enough of the “logical glue” to make the text comprehensive. I wander what more knowledgeable people think about clarity of this description. The link to “full construction diagrams” produced very impressive drawings but that is not what one needs to understand the device.

4) Fortunately, the article provides a layman-oriented section whose title is “Mechanism.” The device is essentially a flow calorimeter; water removes heat generated in the inner cell. That cell is filled with hydrogen at the pressure of 0.1 atm. Presumably, the inner setup is a glow discharge cell whose cathode is tungsten. The hydrogen is not consumed; it undergoes cyclic conversions from molecular form to atomic form and then back from the atomic form to the molecular form. In the first path the energy is consumed while in the second path the energy is released. The excess heat is the difference between the energy needed to decompose the H2 into two H atoms, and the energy released when two atoms of H form the H2 molecules.

The voltage between the anode and the cathode, about 250 V, must be pulsating at the frequency of 10 MHz and shape of each pulse is said to be important. This reminds me the super waves used by Israeli researchers. “The shape and length of time for the pulse might be the most important part of the experiment”. Why should frequency and shape be important? I suppose it has something to do with natural (resonance) frequency of H2 molecules. But these frequencies, as far as I know, are much higher than 10 MHz. High harmonics are likely to play a significant role in breaking the H2 molecules. The technical term for this process is “dissociation.” Its probability increases rapidly with the temperature, as demonstrated, in 1926 by Langmuir. Practically no molecules dissociate below 2000 K and nearly all molecules dissociate above 8000 K, without super waves.

5) The section entitled “Open source project” is also interesting. It describes what motivates researchers and provides additional information. Here is one quote: “This technology is nearly 70 years old, and is not likely to be patentable. (A patent was obtained by Frolov in Russia, but a source that request to remain anonymous states that it is probably not valid).  It appears to be a feasible candidate for the ‘open source’ model of development by interested scientists worldwide.” And here is another quote: “Nicholas Moller, one of two individuals after whom this variant (2.0) device is named, said, ‘The time has come for removing the responsibility of defining the energy policies and structures of the future from the hands of the established energy industries, and place it in the hands of men of science who will work for the preservation of the environment that sustains all life on Earth.’ "

Impressive data from recent Naudin’s experiments are shown in the section entitled MAHG. In one experiment (May 2005) the difference between the output power and the input power incased nearly linearly when the input power. It changed from 50 W at 100 W of input, to 1000 W at 500 W at the input. In other words, the efficiency at the input power of 500 W was 300%. Generating excess heat at the rate of several hundred watts is remarkable. On June 23, 2005 the efficiency was 1153%. The device is referred to as an energy pump. I suppose that this term reflect the believe that energy is being pumped from the world of nothingness to the world of atoms and molecules. The effect of the duty cycle, for square pulses, on efficiency was demonstrated by Naudin. The efficiency increases significantly when 10 MHz pulses become shorter. Note that for shorter pulses (5% of each cycle) the frequency spectrum is wider and more input energy is delivered in the form of high harmonics than for the longer pulses (40% of each cycle).

A fast electronic switch was used by Naudin to control the the duration of pulses from a simple d.c. source. I wander what the efficiency would be if a very sophisticated power supply, such as Pinnacle (see Appendix in the unit #270) were used instead. As far as I know, Pinnacle can be programmed to deliver all kind of superwaves. It is worth mentioning that plasma, in Mizuno type experiments, also acts as an electric switch rapidly modulating the electric power. The modulation is random and the frequency spectrum is very broad. Can this also be significant in terms of what happened near the very hot tip of our tungsten cathode? Karabut, whose experiments are described in the unit #13, also used a pulsating power supply. This is another independent (?) indicator that high frequencies might play a significant role in production of excess energy. I am thinking in terms of resonance frequencies of the oscillating H2 molecules (or groups of molecules) and about moments at which distances between their atoms are somehow reduced.

6) And here is a quote from the last section. “Once others have been able to repeat these results, and the effect fully characterized, explained, and optimized; the big question will be how practical this technology will be as a free energy tapping modality. Solar energy is free energy, but the hardware required to convert photons to electricity is anything but free. Likewise, even though this MAHG technology apparently taps free energy, does not automatically mean that it will solve the world's energy problems.  The machine cost and efficiency will be a primary consideration in the practicality of the technology for commercial application.  Preliminary results and extrapolations appear promising for the MAHG.  Further studies and development will answer that question more definitively.

In an email granting permission to use the images that appear in this article, Naudin said, ‘I hope that my modest contribution of my researches about this fascinating device will soon give us a clean energy source for the future and will contribute to saving our planet.’ " I hope his expectations will be fulfilled, sooner than later. Those who are interested in Naudin’s investigations of MAHG devices should refer to this website:

http://jlnlabs.imars.com/mahg/index.htm

Also worth reading is Moller’s article entitled “Irving Langmuire and atomic hydrogen.” It is essentially a biography of Irving Langmuire, a Nobel laureate who died in 1957. The article can be found at:

http://jlnlabs.imars.com/mahg/article.htm

The biography ends with speculations about how Langmuire would interpret heat released by atomic hydrogen (when it turns into molecular hydrogen) if he were familiar with the idea of the infinite amount of free energy from the so-called “emptiness.” It is ironic that Langmuir’s name is also associated with criticizing pseudoscience. Would he be declared a pseudoscientist if he decided to confirm Naudin’s findings? I do not think that Langmuir would speculate about free energy before convincing himself, experimentally, that claimed effect is not an illusion (due to experimental errors or well known processes). After convincing himself he would probably focus on convincing others.