A Brief History of Cold Fusion Research

Although fusion was not known in the 1920’s, 

Friedrich Adolf Paneth predicted together 

with Kurt Peters that the sun produced its 

energy this way. They even reported the 

transformation of hydrogen into helium by

spontaneous nuclear catalysis at room temperature

and normal pressure. He compared the results obtain from 

using various forms of palladium and nickel. The so-called 

cold fusion research was used by J. Tandberg to apply for

 the first patent on Feb. 17, 1927. Received but not 

understood, was the reply from the patent office. 

 The effect was “rediscovered” more than 60 years 

later by Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann.

One day after work, John Tandberg did an interesting

experiment in the evening. He had a small wire of the metal

palladium.  By electrolysis of heavy water, using this wire as

cathode, he had saturated it with deuterium in the same way he had

previously done with ordinary hydrogen (1927). Consequently, it could

be expected to contain very densly packed deuterium nuclei.

He was now going to blast the wire by letting a condensor battery,

charged with a high voltage, discharge through it. This would mean a

sudden vaporization during a violent increase of pressure and

temperature.

The densly packed deutrons should get a high energy and there should

be good conditions for violent collisions with nuclear reaction and

fusion as a result. These reactions involve some loss of mass by the

nuclei, so one could expect energy generation according to Einstein's

theory.

The electric discharges sounded like powerful shots, but some nuclear

physical effect - hard radiation or radioactive residues - could not

be detected with the equipment John possessed at the time." 

A similar experiment was done by SPAWAR in 2011 yielding positive

 results two out three times. Then, they were ordered to cease work 

in this area.

Ultimately,  Adolf Paneth  fulfilled the alchemist’s dream: The first 

chemical evidence of artificial transmutation was

proven by Paneth and his associate Paul L. Günther.

They used the radiation from thorium to bombard

paraffin resulting in the production of helium.

In contrast to earlier works on transmutation, where

all products were detected physically, in this work,

the amount of helium was large enough to be detected

chemically (1933).

The modern emphasis has shifted to weapons. In the 

1940's the Germans patented bombs based on U-233. 

The United States used U-235 and plutonium in theirs.

The hope still lives that after all the nuclear disasters, we will

see the light and switch to safer forms of nuclear energy.

French Patent:

FR646856A 1928-11-16 Improvements brought to the processes and means for the production of electrical energy

European Patent: EP1551032A1 HYDROGEN CONDENSATE AND METHOD OF GENERATING HEAT THEREWITH