[Notes for new readers: We performed extensive reporting and videotaped documentation on the Rossi Energy Catalyzer topic in 2011. Please see http://rossiportal.com.
This blog is part of the New Energy Times Web site and News Service. Readers can find out much more about LENR from our home page.]
Andrea Rossi, an Italian man who claims to have invented a practical low-energy nuclear reaction device, will not have his device tested and evaluated by the University of Bologna.
Last summer, Rossi said he had started a research contract with the university to allow its researchers to study his “Energy Catalyzer.” But that didn’t happen.
Today, Dario Braga, director of scientific research at the university, told New Energy Times that the university waited long enough. It terminated the contract because Rossi did not fulfill his agreement to make the first progress payment, Braga said.
“The contract ended on January 15 and has been canceled by the university,” Braga said. “Therefore, there is no further relationship between the university and Rossi or his company.”
In October, Rossi claimed that he sold a device to an unidentified customer, but there is no factual evidence to support this. Rossi’s failure to make a payment to the university casts doubt on the sale.
Throughout 2011, Rossi devised secretive and increasingly elaborate “E-Cats” that he claimed were producing high levels – in fact commercially viable levels – of excess heat. He arranged several press conferences and paid for invited foreign professors to visit.
But the tests were never long enough, the data was always poor and the devices were always too complicated to allow a definitive conclusion in Rossi’s favor. Regardless, Rossi captured the hearts and goodwill of fans and believers worldwide.
Technology journalist Mats Lewan reported in Ny Teknik on March 10, 2011, that Rossi “is now paying 500,000 Euros to the Physics Department of Bologna University, following a new agreement.”
But Rossi apparently lied to his fans last March about the university contract. No contract was signed in March. Paolo Capiluppi, the head of the University of Bologna Physics Department, signed the contract at the end of May, and Rossi signed it on June 21, 2011.
Hanno Essén, a lecturer at the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology who was paid by Rossi to come to Bologna to evaluate his device, told New Energy Times on July 15, 2011, how he thought Rossi was planning to pay for the university research.
“According to what I heard,” Essén said, “the University of Bologna contract will become active in late October, because then Rossi will get money from Athens, but this is only speculation. According to the schedule I heard, nothing will happen until October.”
But the Greek connection, Defkalion, fizzled long before October. Defkalion failed to make its first scheduled payment to Rossi on Aug. 1. The following week, Rossi made a connection with an American investor, John Preston of Quantum Energy Technologies, but that fizzled, too.
Rossi met with Preston Aug. 2-4 in Boston and drew up an agreement and defined test parameters. On Rossi’s invitation, Preston and his colleagues went to see and test Rossi’s device on Sept. 5 and 6. But it didn’t work, and they left.
On Oct. 7, a month after Preston walked away, Ny Teknik reported that Rossi canceled the agreement with Preston.
“We had a preliminary agreement with a very important party in the U.S.,” Rossi said, “but when we received the final draft, it included conditions that our lawyers said that we should not accept.”
September 2011 photo outside Rossi’s showroom. Left to right: unidentified, Andrea Rossi, Sergio Focardi, John Preston. Photo courtesy Jim Dunn.
Steve, it seems to me that Essen and Kulander should be asked to report on their further analysis of the nickel + copper powder sample. Perhaps you could do that as a science reporter. In addition to the isotopic ratio measurements there are other tests they could conduct and have perhaps conducted. For example, microscopic examination of the powder may reveal if there are separate copper grains. Crystallographic (perhaps x-ray diffraction) studies may reveal if the copper atoms occupy interstitial locations as would be expected if they are generated by a nuclear reaction. There probably are additional tests that could also speak to the way the sample was generated. I am sure that they acted in good faith. But they have a responsibility to clarify the situation if they were mislead and in turn mislead others.
Peter,
You and Ethan Siegel thought there was a sufficiently reliable chain of custody for that material on which to base an article.
http://newenergytimes.com/v2/inthenews/2011/Q4/SCIBLOGS-PhysicsOfWhyECatClaimsCollapse-Q4.shtml
I don’t think there is.
SBK
Received via e-mail from Peter Thieberger: “But just out of curiosity, what is you theory? Who other than Rossi would be interested in putting copper into the nickel powder?”
Dear Peter,
Rossi’s “laboratory” as he calls it, has no scientific scale, no latex gloves, no speculum, no microscope, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera… It does not even have a lab bench – just a portable table. There is not even a cabinet in the facility where any such instruments would be kept.
Here is a photo of the only tools I saw in Rossi’s “lab:”
It is ludicrous to consider any significance of any material that Rossi claims has comes from his “lab.”
SBK
It shouldn’t require a $500,000 effort to determine if Rossi’s E-cat actually works as he says it does. The power output is in kilowatts, it was said to run months without refueling, and the output is provided as either hot water or steam. A year or more has elapsed since the original announcement of tests and 9 months have gone by since promises of testing by universities.
Any number of simple, clear, independent tests of this sort of extremely robust claim could be done in a few weeks at most. Several LENR/CF-friendly investigators offered to do it — Celani (INFN), McKubre (SRI) and Hagelstein (MIT) for example. They would do it at low cost or for free. They would not reveal trade secrets. Rossi could be present but everything except the E-cat would be supplied by the scientists and not by Rossi.
Rossi has always talked as if he would allow this sort of test but he has not. Rossi makes extravagant claims for sales of 13 megawatt machines consisting of hundreds of individual modules. When asked on his blog, Rossi always says that independent testing of his device is not needed because he is selling them and the market will do the testing. But nobody knows who the anonymous mystery client is and none of the scientists and reporters invited to the October 28 test were allowed to see how it was performed.
Is that how a legitimate claim to unlimited and almost free energy should be pursued? Does anything that Rossi has done makes sense if his device really works as he claims?
Mary, you wrote: “Several LENR/CF-friendly investigators offered to do it — Celani (INFN), McKubre (SRI) and Hagelstein (MIT) for example.”
And there’s one more you left out…NASA…more on this later.
SBK
Received via e-mail:
So, could this mean that the Rossi unit was just a bunch of Bologna?
Wayne Green
Editor of the former Cold Fusion Magazine
24 hours after I spoke with Braga on the phone and published my news story, he sent me the following e-mail:
From: “Prorettore alla Ricerca”
To: “‘Steven Krivit’”
Subject: R: R: R: Media Inquiry: Rossi Research at UNIBO
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:47:53 +0000
This is the official statement
Regards
Dario Braga
E-CAT: STATEMENT from THE DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BOLOGNA
Bologna, 25th January 2012 – The Department of Physics of the University of Bologna states that the contract signed in June 2011 between the Department of Physics and EFA srl (Andrea Rossi’s Italian company) has been canceled because unfulfilled at the agreed deadline. There is no further relationship between the Department and EFA srl based on that contract.
However, the Department of Physics has made available its expertise and equipments to carry out autonomous measurements of the heat generated by the equipment called e-cat to provide a scientific answer to the phenomenon for the benefit of the whole scientific community and the public opinion. The results will be published.
Professore Dario Braga
Interesting timeline:
- Jan. 15: UNIBO decides to terminate contract, makes no public announcement.
- Jan. 23: NET reader sends me a tip – “insider sources said that the deadline for payment was 15 January.”
- Jan. 24, 2am CET: I send news inquiry to Braga.
- Jan. 24, 8am CET: Braga e-mails me and tells me “You will receive a statement on this subject in due course.”
- Jan 24, 11:30am CET: I call Braga and get no answer.
- Jan 24, 12:15pm CET: Braga returns my call and gives me verbal statement.
- Jan 24, 12:30pm CET: I publish story.
- Jan 25, 8:47am CET: Braga sends me written statement.
As of now, Jan 25, 10:20pm CET, there is still no published statement on the UNIBO Physics Web site. http://www.df.unibo.it/bacheca/bacheca.htm
[Jan. 26: UNIBO statement published]
SBK