英国の目ざとい投資家は、常温核融合LENRも有望な投資対象としているのか？
日経新聞記事で取り上げられた、三菱重工業のセシウムを他の元素（praseodymiumなど）に核変換する技術（欧州でも特許成立し、権利保護期間が延長）と、トヨタの同様の技術について、両社の株式を有望な投資対象としている。一方、イタリアのRossiによるE-catの技術については、このWEB記事が書かれた６月12日の時点で、「長期評価試験結果を近々発表」としている。
The translated Nikkei article described the transmutation experiment in the following manner: “The researchers put the source material that they want to convert on top of the multi-layer film, which consists of alternately laminated thin films of calcium oxide and palladium. The thin metal layers have a thickness of several tens of nanometers. Elements are changed in atomic number in increments of 2, 4 and 6 over a hundred hours while deuterium gas is allowed to pass through the film.
“The transmutations of cesium into praseodymium, strontium into molybdenum, calcium into titanium, tungsten into platinum have been confirmed.”
Mitsubishi’s patent was originally issued in Japan but it was extended in 2013 into a European patent, and protects the company’s proprietary thin-film transmutation technology. The Japanese newspaper also reported that a research and development company of the Toyota Group (TM-NYSE), Toyota Central Research and Development Labs, has also replicated the elemental conversion research with results similar to Mitsubishi’s experiment.
While the Mitsubishi and Toyota research efforts have focused on material transformation rather than the generation of energy, the process is similar. High profile work on LENR as an energy source has been conducted by Andrea Rossi, an Italian engineer, inventor and entrepreneur. He has invented the Energy Catalyzer (E-Cat) and completed two tests, one of which produced 900o C (1,650o F) of heat that could be used to generate steam to power a generator to produce electricity. In early 2013, a group of independent scientists ran tests on two versions of the “Hot Cat,” a one megawatt LENR unit. Their coefficient of performance (COP) was measured, determining the ratio of energy out versus energy in. The COPs in the two tests were 5.6 and 2.2, respectively. Another group that is not affiliated with nor has it worked with Mr. Rossi, has been using an E-Cat and conducting longer term tests, the results of which may be released soon. This could be a monumental development, although it will not end skepticism of the technology.
