Cold Fusion Controversy

  The Cold Fusion Controversy: Fact or Fiction?

 By <a href="http://www.free-articles-zone.com/author/3295">-- --
</a>
 
On March 23rd, 1989, two scientists at the University of Utah released a bombshell on the scientific community. Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann announced at a press conference that they had constructed a biofriendly device that generated excess heat that could only be explained by nuclear fusion at room temperature. (1)
The announcement was all the more amazing, because of the simplicity of the device they had used: two electrodes in a jar of heavy water and connected to a battery. The findings of Pons and Fleischmann have been derided by many in the scientific community, for a number of reasons.
Perhaps the most compelling reason for skepticism was that the results were not consistently reproducible, although evidence remained that something unusual was happening. Another reason for rejection was that the observed phenomenon did not fit any accepted scientific theories. Nonetheless, despite the many detractors, there were others who continued on the road begun by Pons and Fleischmann.
So what is cold fusion exactly? To clarify this concept we should first examine the two known types of nuclear processes: fission and fusion. Nuclear fission is achieved by bombarding heavy unstable atoms, such as Uranium 235, with particles. As a result the heavy atom is broken up into lighter elements, releasing huge amounts of energy in the process.
This is the principle used in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. While nuclear fission reactors have the advantage of not emitting greenhouse gases, the mining and refining of uranium is an expensive and cumbersome process and the waste products of nuclear fission are highly radioactive. While the radioactive waste can be sealed into special containers, it remains "hot" for thousands of years and who could guarantee to keep it sealed away safely for that long a time? And the radioactive fallout from exploding nuclear weapons would kill friend and foe alike.
Nuclear fusion, on the other hand, is a process where light atoms (hydrogen) are fused together and become helium atoms, again with the release of vast amounts of energy. This is the type of reaction that takes place inside the sun and is what provides its heat. Attempts to artificially create hot fusion have not been very successful, as extreme heat and pressure are required to start the nuclear fusion process.
Cold fusion is claimed to be nuclear fusion that takes place at room temperature and without creating harmful radioactive byproducts. With the billions of dollars that have been spent with little success on attempts at hot fusion, it is hardly surprising that the cold fusion claims by Pons and Fleischmann were considered by many to be mere wishful thinking.
Recently, however, the cold fusion cause has received a shot in the arm when none other than the US Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR) near San Diego published a paper in the respected journal Naturwissenschaften. In the article, SPAWAR's scientists Stanislaw Szpak and Pamela Mosier-Boss claimed to have achieved a low energy nuclear reaction that can easily be repeated and verified by other scientific researchers. The ability to duplicate and verify results is vital for broad acceptance of the phenomenon and can lead the way to funding for further research. (2)
Even if cold fusion turns out to become a commercially viable way of generating cheap energy, it will likely take decades before it can be implemented on a significant scale. Until renewable energy sources become mainstream, it is important to make effective use of fossil fuels. Biofriendly Corporation's Green Plus, liquid fuel catalyst provides a cleaner, more linear burn in internal combustion engines, with resulting improved fuel economy and reduced harmful emissions.
References:
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_fusion
(2) http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=7168

  Author, Peter Verhoeff, contributes articles on environmental issues for Biofriendly Corporation. More information on these and other topics can be found on the Biofriendly site.
 
Article Source: <a href='http://www.articles.co.il/article.php?id=130303'>http://www.free-articles-zone.com</a>