Energi
Defkalion shows specs but no technology
UPDATED: Yesterday the Greek company Defkalion showed prototype drawings and specifications of the heating unit Hyperion, potentially competing with Andrea Rossi’s ‘E-cat’. However, no verification of the technology was presented.
(Swedish version here)
The documents that Defkalion published on Wednesday November 30th contained detailed technical specifications for the heating unit Hyperion.
The specifications were related to sensors, pumps, coolant, materials, heat exchangers, temperature ranges, weights and measures. The thermal output power was specified at 5 to 45 kilowatts, depending on model.
At the end of the document there was a general description of the reaction which is supposed to be the source of heat. It was described as “Chemically Assisted Low Energy Nuclear Reactions caused by Nickel and Hydrogen Nuclei”.
The description reminds largely of the reaction that could be the source of heat in Andrea Rossi’s ‘E-cat’.
Defkalion, which previously had a contract with Rossi on licensing of the core technology in the E-cat, now claims to have managed to develop this technology in house.
However, at the presentation there were no reports of verification of Defkalion’s technology or reports from third parties having observed it in operation.
According to Defkalion’s press release several institutions are interested in doing independent testing of the technology.
Multiple sources told Ny Teknik that they have received such offers and that they are interested. They have also stated that such tests should have been performed already in October 2011, but that they have been postponed several times.
Defkalion described the documents as “a first preparation of our pre-industrial Hyperion product” and stated that final products would be ready for market in 2012. The company also claimed to have received interest from 850 companies in 60 countries for license agreements. Licences will cost 40.5 million Euros per plant.
The short development time – Defkalion was registered in April 2011 and the agreement with Rossi was terminated in August – can be put in relation to the fact that research has been conducted in the cold fusion area by hundreds of researchers since 1989.
For this reason, Ny Teknik asked Defkalion on collaboration with outside researchers.
"We have 27 scientists working in-house. There is absolutely no external collaboration.", Defkalion answered.
Professor Christos Stremmenos, who established the first contacts between Rossi and Defkalion, and formally remains CTO of the company, is very critical.
In a letter to Ny Teknik, Stremmenos stressed that he in no way has contributed to the technology Defkalion claims to have developed since the termination of the agreement with Rossi.
He also pointed out that he, for ethical reasons, has had no contact with Defkalion since about half a year, and declared that Rossi’s technology has never been transferred to Defkalion.
Andrea Rossi stated that his technology cannot have been copied, although Defkalion’s representative Alexandros Xanthoulis in August told Ny Teknik that Defkalion knew the contents of Rossi’s reactor.
Rossi also warned of products that are said to be “an upgraded copy of the E-cat”.
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UPDATED (Dec 1): Regarding the earlier claim from Defkalion about the knowledge of what's inside Rossi's reactor, Defkalion has now clarified that the spectroscopy was performed at the University of Padua (not Siena), where this analysis actually was performed, commisioned by Rossi.
The results of this measurement was published by Rossi and Focardi in their paper from 2010, describing the technology.
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UPDATED 2 (Dec 1): In an interview with Ny Teknik, Alexandros Xanthoulis, representing the owners of Defkalion, stated that:
- Defkalion started to think of developing its own technology in July 2011.
- 12 Hyperion prototypes are now running.
- The factory of 11,000 square meters in Xanthia will be ready in four months.
- The Defkalion lab will be transferred to a 2,500 square meter lab at the Xanthia location in a few weeks.
- 19 license agreements have been made.
- No money has yet been transfered. Interested companies will pay 500,000 Euros in an escrow account before testing a final product. Half of the license fee of 40.5 million Euros should be be paid at delivery of know-how, and the remaining part after ten days of operation of a factory producing Hyperion products.
- 27 scientists work in-house at Defkalion
- A total of 40 people are employed at Defkalion.
Xanthoulis gave no further information on verification of the core technology, except that it will be made by third parties later this year.
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UPDATE 3 (Dec 1). From Defkalions forum:
- The indicated price for a multi-reactor device (up to 45 kW thermal power output) is 5,500 Euros plus VAT.
- A 3 mm layer of "Ecomass" is used to shield gamma emissions.
- Mean startup time for the reactor is supposedly 6.5 minutes.
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Defkalion answers questions on its forum. All answers from Defkalion can be found through this search.
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READ MORE: Our complete coverage on Rossi's E-cat can be found here.