A method and apparatus for energy production comprising providing reactive material containing, at least, an exothermic double electron capture capable isotope and supplying pair-formation energy to at least part of the reactive material to form at least one irreversible double electron capture capable nuclei-pair to produce a net exothermic reaction is disclosed. The reactive material may comprise a metallic alloy. A method and apparatus for energy production comprising heating a three or more element metallic alloy in a chemically inert atmosphere to initiate and/or sustain an exothermic reaction between at least two of the metallic elements of the alloy is herein disclosed. The pressure at the surface of the metallic alloy may be maintained below 1000 atm. The reaction may be initiated, maintained or re-initiated by temperature cycling within a target temperature range. The heat from the reaction may be converted to electric energy by means of a stacked thermophotovoltaic arrangement, comprising a hot surface, a first stage photovoltaic element, a photoemissive LED and a second stage photovoltaic element.

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for triggering an exothermic reaction under a high hydrogen loading rate. It is generally understood that a high hydrogen loading ratio is an important factor. The present application teaches that a high hydrogen loading rate, that is, achieving a high hydrogen loading ratio in a short period of time, is another important factor in determining whether excess heat can be observed in an exothermic reaction. The present application discloses methods and apparatus for achieving a high hydrogen loading rate in order to trigger an exothermic reaction.

The present invention relates to a system for a system for generating energetic particles including a device for generating an ion beam comprising a first group of atomic nuclei, and a condensed matter medium comprising a second group of atomic nuclei. The ion beam is configured to interact with the condensed matter medium so that some atomic nuclei of the first group of atomic nuclei are implanted into the condensed matter medium and undergo a first nuclear reaction thereby releasing a first energy. The ion beam is further configured to generate high-frequency phonons in the condensed matter medium. The high-frequency phonons are configured to interact with the second group of atomic nuclei and affect nuclear states of the second group of atomic nuclei by transferring the first energy of the first group of atomic nuclei to the second group of atomic nuclei and causing the second group of atomic nuclei to undergo a second nuclear reaction and emit energetic particles.

This disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for energy production from at least one of electron-mediated nuclear reaction and single-element nuclear reaction, wherein a reactive nuclei fuel is loaded into a reactor. The fuel includes one or more reactive nuclei. To maintain a chain reaction, the fuel structure has a multiplication factor of energetic electrons larger than one. A chain reaction is initiated and/or periodically re-initiated in the fuel.

An apparatus and method for sourcing nuclear fusion products uses an electrochemical loading process to load low-kinetic-energy (low-k) light element particles into a target electrode, which comprises a light-element-absorbing material (e.g., Palladium). An electrolyte solution containing the low-k light element particles is maintained in contact with a backside surface of the target electrode while a bias voltage is applied between the target electrode and an electrochemical anode, thereby causing low-k light element particles to diffuse from the backside surface to an opposing frontside surface of the target electrode. High-kinetic-energy (high-k) light element particles are directed against the frontside, thereby causing fusion reactions each time a high-k light element particle operably collides with a low-k light element particle disposed on the frontside surface. Fusion reaction rates are controlled by adjusting the bias voltage.

A method of terminating a reaction generating energy and .sup.4He atoms from the reaction of three-dimensional nanostructured carbon material with deuterium gas. The method includes containing three-dimensional nanostructured carbon material in a sealable vessel, introducing deuterium gas to the vessel to react the three-dimensional nanostructured carbon material with the deuterium gas. The vessel is sealed to confine the reaction; and the reaction of the three-dimensional nanostructured carbon material with the deuterium gas is terminated by at least partially destroying the three-dimensional periodicity of the three-dimensional nanostructured carbon material in the vessel. An apparatus for generating energy and .sup.4He atoms using a solid vessel having an interior cavity with three-dimensional nanostructured carbon material in the interior cavity in an amount sufficient to generate energy when deuterium gas is introduced to the vessel and reacts with the three-dimensional nanostructured carbon.

A low energy nuclear reactor (LENR) is provided for producing thermal energy. The LENR includes first and second vessels and an ignitor. The first vessel defined a first chamber containing LENR fuel. The second vessel disposed inside the first vessel defines a second chamber containing exothermic material. The ignitor initiates the exothermic material by sparking. The LENR fuel reacts to produce the thermal energy in response to initiation heat from the exothermic material.

The present disclosure is directed to a device and method which generate heat and electrical power by controlling the density, focus, and speed of an ion beam from a low-power plasma in a plasma chamber from which the ion beam is extracted into a reaction chamber. This optionally enriches a target into a target hydride to initiate and sustain heat and optionally a cold fusion reaction in said target, recovering heat energy from said reaction to provide heating, and/or to generate electrical power. This optionally replenishes the target with additional ionic fuel and/or deposits additional target material when additional heat is not required, whilst during heating and optional enrichment/deposition and cold fusion cycles extracting excess fuel from the chambers to recombine if necessary with any fuel byproduct from the source fuel to then reuse as source fuel.

An electrolytic method of loading hydrogen into a cathode includes placing the cathode and an anode in an electrochemical reaction vessel filled with a solvent, mixing a DC component and an AC component to produce an electrolytic current, and applying an electrolytic current to the cathode. The DC component includes cycling between: a first voltage applied to the cathode for a first period of time, a second voltage applied to the cathode for a second period of time, wherein the second voltage is higher than the first voltage, and wherein the second period of time is shorter than the first period of time. The peak sum of the voltages supplied by the DC component and AC component is higher than the dissociation voltage of the solvent. The AC component is selected based on a local minimum of a Nyquist plot to minimize energy loss while maintaining hydrogen transport.

An electrolytic method of loading hydrogen into a cathode includes placing the cathode and an anode in an electrochemical reaction vessel filled with a solvent, mixing a DC component and an AC component to produce an electrolytic current, and applying an electrolytic current to the cathode. The DC component includes cycling between: a first voltage applied to the cathode for a first period of time, a second voltage applied to the cathode for a second period of time, wherein the second voltage is higher than the first voltage, and wherein the second period of time is shorter than the first period of time. The AC component has a frequency between about 1 Hz and about 100 kHz. The peak sum of the voltages supplied by the DC component and AC component is higher than the dissociation voltage of the solvent.