High precision calorimetric search for evidence of cold fusion usingin situ catalytic recombination of evolved gases

We have developed a calorimeter suitable for testing cold fusion electrolytic cells that achieves better than 0.3% accuracy in absolute energy balance. It uses self-sustained catalytic recombination of the evolved gases and so operates in a completely closed fashion, and also it has demonstrated insensitivity to temperature gradients in the electrolytic cell. We work with 0.1M LiOD in D2O solutions and with vacuum degassed 99.9% Pd bars whose electrochemical charging curves have been carefully studied prior to use. The charging rates show a discontinuity betweenx=0.6 andx=0.7 (close to the expected onset of the β phase) whereupon the rates slow considerably andx saturates at about 0.80–0.84 after half a day. Calorimetric studies on these samples have so far shown no excess heat generation to the 0.3% level for input powers in the 4–18 watt range.