Mr Rossi has given another interview (read Rossi interview with oilprice.com ), we tried to find some further hints how the e-cat process is operating.

Mr Rossi explains : “The E-Cat machine is basically a heater. It uses a secret catalyser to fuse hydrogen and nickel together to form copper. Copper has a lower energy state than Nickel, and the excess energy is released in the form of a gamma ray. The gamma ray hits a wall of lead where it is absorbed and transformed into heat. The whole process is incredibly efficient and can heat any fluid that passes through the machine.”

We are stunned by the explanation. It sounds very obscure. Gamma rays as main source of heat ? Yet there is supposed to be hardy any dangerous radiation. In most publications about cold fusion and LENR scientists found very little radiation, and explained by a new process which is not yet understood.

In a previous paper, Mr Rossi explained ( read Rossi and Focardi paper: A new energy source form nuclear fusion (2010) the gamma rays by decay of instable copper isotopes to nickel with emission of a positron (and a neutrino), and the positron (anti-electron) which then annihilates with an electron to form gamma rays ( Electron–positron annihilation of matter-anti matter). The stable copper isotopes formed would not decay, and assuming instable isotopes are only a minor part of the process would explain the low radiation. In that sense gamma rays would not be the major source of heat, it would be a result of a by-reaction of the process.

Further, in the interview more questions were asked on the details of the e-cat process, but not surprisingly, Mr Rossi is still refusing to reveal what is going on inside the e-cat.

Question : “….what happens inside the E-Cat have changed a lot. You said that there is some form of fusion reaction, but it might not be the main energy source. Can you explain to us exactly what is going on inside your E-Cat machine? And where the excess energy is coming from? Andrea Rossi: No, sorry I can’t. This issue is still confidential at the moment and I cannot add anything to what I have previously said, or to what you have correctly cited.” and further “I’m sorry but before the patent has been approved I cannot give any information about our catalysers.”

Here it is said again, a special catalyst is used…. However, the patent does not mention any catalyst (see Rossi patent WO2009125444), which, once the patent would be granted, means there would not be any IP protection for the core of the e-cat technology and would make it very vulnerable to other people copying and claiming own IP. People will tempted to run a screening with all eventual possible materials as catalysts and file own patents…..We still believe the reluctance to reveal how the process is operating is a high risk for the patent to be granted due to insufficient disclosure (read our earlier report).

Still, an existing story. We will keep on reporting on the matter.