MEASUREMENT OF EXCESS HEAT AND APPARENT COINCIDENT INCREASES IN THE NEUTRON AND GAMMA-RAY COUNT RATES DURING THE ELECTROLYSIS OF HEAVY-WATER

Excess heat and apparent increases in the neutron and gamma-ray count rates have been observed in a series of tests performed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to study the electrolysis of heavy water in the presence of palladium cathodes. For these tests, LiOD at a concentration of 0.1 to 1 N in D2O was used in an insulated glass electrochemical cell in which the temperature was controlled and heat was removed by flowing water in a cooling jacket. Results of two of the tests, one of which lasted for over 1900 h, are reported. In the latter test, an internal D2-O2 recombiner was incorporated into the cell to give a closed system without off-gas.