Cold Fusion Expands Into Transmuting Elements

Lewis G. Larsen one namesake of the famed Low Energy Nuclear Reaction (LENR) version of Cold Fusion and now heading Lattice Energy LLC in Chicago is reporting a claim to have developed a process for energy production, utilizing LENR that, as a byproduct of neutron captures on tungsten, will create a mix of precious metals.

Lattice Energy was founded back in 2001.  Larsen is part of a team that learned from cold fusion’s mistakes, saying with respect to cold fusion, “Their heat production measurements were right, but their conclusions about the heat being produced by a fusion process were completely wrong.”

Lattice’s work hinges on the Widom-Larsen theory.   Larsen points out the theory and recent advances in nanotechnology has brought LENR advances.  “Nanotechnology and LENR are joined at the hip”, said Larsen. “It is one of the reasons why this could not be done back in 1989-90. Before our work, nobody had a grasp on the theory of neutron creation from protons and electrons in tabletop apparatus; nor on exactly how to apply advanced nanotechnology to build well-performing prototype devices.”

The Lattice team has brought in the know-how of experts from a variety of disciplines including electro-dynamics, quantum electro-dynamics, nuclear physics and solid state physics. The firm believes  the development of a theoretical foundation is now ready to be prototyped and put to the test.

The goal of Lattice is to build high performance thermal sources with outputs ranging from single watts to 100 kilowatts, the ultimate application being the use of LENR devices in automobiles. Patents have been filed and some have been issued.  At this point, financing is provided by insiders and several angel investors, but larger amounts of capital are needed to take the technology to its next level.

Larsen’s theory that gold, platinum and several other metals can be created by the LENR process is based on findings by Japanese physicist Prof. Hantaro Nagaoka.  Nagoda successfully transmuted tungsten into gold in 1924.  Nagaoka’s results have been verified by several institutions in recent independent experiments but so far there has been no effort to commercialize the process.

Additionally, the Ukrainians managed to transmute to heavier elements a few years back by simply impacting materials at extreme velocity in very tiny amounts at great cost.  It can be done.

Larsen said, “Now that the LENR transmutation process is well understood the use of nanotechnology may change all that.”

Larsen explains. “The neutron-catalyzed LENR process follows rows of the periodic table of elements”, meaning that heavier metals than the starting targets will be created.  The work published by Larsen and his team suggests that a tungsten target example would absorb neutrons and gradually be transmuted to gold, platinum and other platinum group metals. “And because LENR products are not dangerously radioactive, conventional metal recovery processes can be utilized,” he said.

Larsen is convinced element transmutation may be possible, but, “Can we scale this up to a commercial process that makes money?” he said.

The transmutation from lead to gold has been mankind’s dream for hundreds of years.  We will see as this group has the skills and staying power to keep going.

Imagine, a power system that has precious metals as a waste product.  Humanity might be very lucky this time.