Hope from Athens found in Cold Fusion
On the heels of the riots and buildings burning, I landed in
Athens to visit Defkalion and was able to see a demonstration of their
test set-up for the upcoming seven testing groups. I was also impressed
by the team working with the technology that could help bring remedy to
Greece, Europe, and the world.
Here I am standing next to the
Hyperion at Defkalion Green Technologies, February 13, 2012. |
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by
Sterling D. Allan
Pure Energy Systems News
Coming back from S. Africa where I saw a 5 kW fuel free generator in
operation (story pending about this technology), I changed my return
flight to go through Athens to meet the Defkalion Green Technologies
group and see any prototypes that they might be willing to show me.
For a decade now, I have been searching the planet for exotic free
energy technologies that can bring us clean, renewable, practical,
dependable, and affordable energy in a distributed manner -- freeing us
from our dependence on fossil fuels, the grid and all the control and
pollution that comes with it. I have been of the conviction that the
emergence of such a technology could revolutionize the planet, empower
individuals (literally and figuratively), boost the economy, and help
facilitate the emergence of a more peaceful, responsible, freedom-based
civilization.
Being away since Friday, and not paying attention to the news, I wasn't
aware that Athens was in the middle of violent demonstrations and
burning some 20 buildings until I was an hour away from landing in
Athens and read about the chaos in an email.
What timing!
I then forwarded that email to my Free Energy News newsletter with the
preface comment: "After my visit, I hope I can write a story: Hope 'from
Athens', to help dispel some of the angst."
Having now visited Defkalion, which is located not far from Athens, I'm
pleased to report that I can say affirmatively that the Greek company,
Defkalion, does indeed provide hope for not just Athens and not just
Greece, and not just Europe, but for the world!
I'm going to be moving them up from position 5 to position 3 in our
Top 5.
Defkalion's 5-45 kilowatt modular heat reactor is not yet a product you
can go out and purchase, but it is getting close to the market. It will
provide competitively-priced thermal energy, but with very low fuel
costs for the nickel and hydrogen used in the reaction chambers that
will last for six months of continuous output without refuelling.
In the coming few weeks, they will be having at least seven different
groups come in to test their device, beginning with the Greek government
next week. The results from each group will be published. Each group
will have 48 hours to test the device and a control to which they can
compare it.
They showed me the experimental set-up -- running, producing heat. It
includes a control chamber and an active reaction chamber. After the two
are run simultaneously -- one with the low energy nuclear reaction (aka
cold fusion), and one without -- showing that the low energy nuclear
reaction (LENR) system produces at least 20 times more heat; they will
then switch the reaction chambers, removing the nickel and hydrogen from
one (cleaning it out to make sure there are no residual elements), and
adding these ingredients to the other chamber, which previously was the
'control' or 'blank' chamber; to prove that the data remain the same.
They will also show that some gamma radiation comes from the reaction
chamber of the LENR system, as evidence that a low level nuclear
reaction of some kind is indeed taking place (though not on a dangerous
level to those operating the test). The final product will be fully
shielded to prevent emission of stray radiation.
Each group coming in to perform these tests will be able to use their
own measurement equipment. They have been given the specs of the types
and sizes of probes needed. They will be given 48 hours to run their
tests.
Pointing to the graph emerging on the computer from the data being
collected, John said that each one of the blips on the line were
reactions taking place; and that the company is able to control how many
reactions take place and their magnitude. They said that is something
that will be demonstrated during the test with each of the seven groups.
They explained that the "low energy" of the name "low energy nuclear
reaction" refers to the amount of energy required to get a nuclear
reaction to take place -- not to the amount of energy produced as a
result. Usually, nuclear reactions take a significant amount of energy
to be instigated (triggered). But apparently Defkalion (and others
[there are several groups pursuing this]) has figured out a way to do
this quite simply and affordably.
Now there can be such a thing as a home nuclear plant that is safe,
clean, and affordable.
In addition to affordable, distributed power, imagine the boost this
will give to the economy as new jobs begin coming online several months
from now. Even if the jobs and sales are still a few weeks or months
away, depending on what country you're in, the hope that can come from
realizing that a solution is on its way is worth a lot in itself.
Defkalion is planning "very soon" to announce the first 18 licensees
that are authorized to manufacture and distribute the technology in
their respective countries, with an exclusive contract for those
regions. Each license costs 40.5 million Euros. Many of those licensees
are well under way in procuring the necessary permitting and other
requirements for launching a production plant. Each factory is designed
to be able to manufacture 300,000 units per year. The factory is pretty
much like a franchise, where Defkalion will provide a blueprint for not
just the technology but also the factory layout and operation.
Their product will be the Hyperion (pronounced "high-pee-ree-un" [they
nearly gagged when I told them I thought is was pronounced Hyper Ion --
"yikes!"]). The name hearkens back to a Greek legend of a man who was
thought to be father of the Greeks, similar to the Noah's Ark story.
The Hyperion contains nine reaction vessels, each producing 5 kW of
heat. Whether you just want 5 kW or 45 kW, or any amount in between, you
will purchase the same unit. If a person only wants 5 kW, then the
reaction vessels will rotate one after another, until all reactants are
used up. So the duration could be as much as 4.5 years (each vessel
reactants are designed to last 6 months). But that doesn't take into
consideration the inevitable loss of hydrogen. They agreed with me that
this is yet an unknown -- how long the vessel will actually remain
charged and ready to go.
They have not yet firmed up a price for the Hyperion. But once they do,
the licensees will be required to stay close to the same price,
especially in neighboring markets, like in Europe.
In addition to the 5-45 kW heat system, Defkalion is also in the process
of negotiating with companies to tackle specific applications, such as
marine, transportation, utilities, etc., which may require larger
systems up to 5MW, or larger; for which their commercial partners will
obtain the rights to the manufacturing and distribution of that
application worldwide.
They have nearly accomplished all the requirements to go commercial,
having completed the reactor engineering, achieved approvals, and
addressed security. They still have a few things to secure in their IP.
But as for their IP strategy, they realize that it will only be a matter
of time before the technology is reversed engineered and someone else
comes out as a competitor. They hope to be able to maintain the lead for
a long time. Any competitors who reverse engineer the publicly-available
technology are going to require time to engineer it, and Defkalion is
already 3-6 months ahead of what's publicly available.
They have already done the safety testing required for such devices,
subjecting them to things like fire, earthquake, hot, cold. Newcomers
will yet have to jump through those hoops.
Furthermore, they will benefit substantially from the branding and
respect that will come from being the first to market, which will
benefit them for years to come. And they intend to stay on the cutting
edge by being open to developing new breakthroughs that come along,
though for now they are committed to focusing on the LENR technology
until it is established in the market.
Also, Defkalion realizes that the need is so great worldwide, that it
will take a long time before competitors will be stepping on each
other's toes substantially in the marketplace. There is plenty of room
for many players.
Nevertheless, for a level of safety, to protect their intellectual
property, Defkalion has engineered a self-destruct mechanism so that if
someone begins tinkering with the device, it will self-destruct,
preventing detection of the proprietary components, thus buying them
additional time to establish their "first to market" branding in this
sector.
When I assess a technology's viability, one of the things I weigh
heavily is the business capability of the group and their ability to
work well together. In this regard, I would rank Defkalion very high. I
observed a great camaraderie among them. There are a lot of
strong-willed people in their group, but they are able to give each
other respect so that no one's ego gets in the way. Several of them have
been working together as friends and associates for many years in
various capacities. They like to say: "95% of our success is our team."
In addition to the obvious tasks of manufacturing and distribution, a
licensee will also do power surveys for potential customers to see what
kind of a set-up they need. Then the Hyperion will be programmed
accordingly, and installed by a trained technician. The reactants in the
chambers will also need to be replaced by technicians.
Here are some other miscellaneous things I learned during my visit
today:
- Defkalion has 27 people presently involved in their headquarters
(where I visited) and their lab.
- Their lab is located elsewhere.
- Their primary product is "heat". Their business model is
arranged around that. Others can figure out how to put that heat to
good use.
- The reaction chambers are able to go as high as 900 degrees
Celcius stably.
- The reaction begins at around 450 șC.
- Nickel melts at 1453 șC.
- They will use oil to transfer the heat from the reaction chamber
to where it can be used.
Alexandros Xanthoulis, the CEO, who was one of the primary people I
interfaced with, told his group the other day: "We've been through the
Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Steel Age, etc. Now it's time to introduce
the Nickel Age."
What better place to introduce it than in Athens, Greece -- even as
Athens teeters on the brink? Could this keep it from toppling?
Postscript
I should give just a little more context for my writing of this
story.
I've got a flight to catch back to the states at 5 am, with a taxi
coming at 2:30 am (Greece time). From a personal point of view, I should
have gotten some sleep tonight; but instead I chose to work on this
story to get it out there. I'll sleep on the plane.
Furthermore, in priority of time, I should be working more on the S.
African fuel free generator story. But the reason I chose to first do
this Hyperion story is due to the events unfolding in Athens.
Hank Quits
I should also mention that
Hank Mills
quit over this story. He wanted me to comment on some of the stuff
regarding Andrea Rossi, asking where the technology came from, etc. I
told him that I thought it was a worse travesty that Rossi was being
impossible for anyone to work with, whether it be Defkalion, NASA,
National Instruments, Ampenergo, or whoever. He drives everyone away,
even though they want to be amiable.
I don't know where Defkalion got their technology. They claim to have
developed it independently, but I have a hard time believing that some
of what they learned from the Rossi experience didn't end up in their
product.
However, what is more important?
- Giving credit to an inventor who refuses to work as a team?
or
- Getting the technology to the people by working as a team to make it
happen?
I favor the latter. Hank favors the former.
So he left PES.
I wish he would stay, but for him, this issue is a show stopper. I guess
in that way he's like Rossi: he'd rather be right and alone than give in
a little and work as a team. Hence, once again, interpersonal conflicts
(40%) become the most predominant obstacle that impedes the progress of
free energy technology, far more than any other obstacle: getting the
technology right (20%), finances (20%), men in black (10%) [I'm not
quite sure what to ascribe that last 10% to, maybe closed mindedness, or
other obstacles that we typically have to be overcome to get to
market.].
The U.S. Constitution would have never been signed and ratified had the
Founders not compromised some. They gave us an amendable document so
that as people mature (or the opposite), it could be molded to fit the
people where they are at.
I'm not saying that industrial espionage is acceptable (if there is any
of that involved here). But if given a choice, I prefer to support
something that is most likely to benefit the most number of people in a
positive way. Not that the end justifies the means; but nobody is
perfect, and sometimes compromises have to be made in order for progress
to take place.
If there is someone else out there who might take Hank's place (in your
own unique way), let me know. Based on his departure once before, I
don't expect he will come back. He's on "Rossi's side." I'm for whoever
is trying to help free energy move forward, including competitors. There
is plenty of room for many players in this field, and there will be for
years to come. Heaven knows we need this -- yesterday.
Hanks Last Comments
The following was received by Hank and posted just minutes after we
first linked to this story from our news.
Who obtains the credit or glory for the world's first robust
Ni-H cold fusion technology is not my primary concern in this
situation. Although it is very important to see Rossi get the
credit he rightfully deserves, the most important issue in my
opinion is if Defkalion developed their technology in an ethical
way. Due to the issues surrounding their breakup with Rossi and
the comments of their President to NyTeknik, it is not clear to
me if the Hyperion is truly an original technology, or a copy
cat of Rossi's E-Cat. It could very well be a radically
different technology utilizing fundamentally different
catalysts, or it could just be Rossi's "secret sauce" with an
extra dash of salt or pepper, so to speak -- which would be an
outright travesty.
Before Sterling visited Defkalion I urged him to try and obtain
two things Defkalion had not provided (or at least not publicly)
-- evidence of working reactor cores, and evidence their
technology is unique and not utilizing Rossi's catalysts or
other trade secrets. It seems like Sterling obtained evidence of
working reactor cores. I'm actually GLAD to hear that. However,
as far as I know, he did not obtain any evidence that
Defkalion's technology was truly developed from scratch --
without using information gathered after figuring out the
contents of an E-Cat's reactor core.
Since there is -- at least in my mind -- some question about the
originality of the Hyperion technology, I do not think PESN
should "cheer lead" Defkalion. In my opinion, if there is the
possibility that a company has committed industrial espionage,
we need to hold off with our support and cheering. Instead, we
should wait until we are provided evidence no wrongdoing took
place. Again, we have no (zero) proof Defkalion is guilty of
anything whatsoever. The statements of Defkalion's President and
the overall situation are simply very mysterious, and adds too
much possible doubt about the originality of the Hyperion.
Sterling disagrees with me, and desires to start cheer leading
Defkalion. I would be all for that, if they had provided him
evidence that their core technology (what takes place in the
reactor core of the system between the nickel, hydrogen, and
catalysts) is not just a copy of Rossi's E-Cat. However, as far
as I know they did not. Since he is now providing such support
for Defkalion, I must leave PESN. I can certainly tolerate other
cold fusion technologies (in addition to the E-Cat) coming onto
the market, because competition is a good thing. But I cannot
support any organization (including PESN) that gives support to
a competitor of Rossi's that could potentially -- again there is
zero proof of this -- be using his trade secrets without
permission or authorization.
For the record, I would like to thank Sterling for allowing me
to write for PESN over the past year. He has been consistently
honest and straightforward with me. In my opinion, he is an
individual of good character that is sincerely dedicated to the
advancement and proliferation of free energy technologies. He
has sacrificed more to this cause than I would have been willing
to (especially since he has a family with four children), and he
deserves the continued support of our community. I know of no
one who is working harder to push for a better future for all
humanity.
I know I have been head-strong at times, but I've done so out of
trying to stick to my convictions. I'm not a perfect person, and
I'm FAR from always being correct. I appreciate Sterling
tolerating the quarks of my personality, even when I may have
been wrong. Even in this case (where we have a strong difference
of opinion) I appreciate his openness and directness.
Please do not allow anyone to twist my departure from PESN into
anything it is not. The only issue of contention with Sterling
Allan and myself is PESN's new found support and cheerleading of
Defkalion. There are no other conflicts that exists. He is
willing to overlook potential (again no proof) industrial
espionage by Defkalion for the sake of the planet as a whole. I
do not, because of my sense of loyalty to Andrea Rossi, and my
opposition to possible unethical conduct by any company. That's
it. There is nothing else.
My hope is that PESN will continue to be the top source of news
and information about cutting edge, exotic energy technologies.
Please continue visiting PESN and PESWiki. |
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