Re: Zinc and X ? metal produces heat in a liquid placed between them. X=?

The thought of free energy is an exciting idea and has been around in one form or another for a long time. Frankly, I'd like free energy, too. The following url: http://www.fuellesspower.com/Heater.htm offers plans to make a heater from a zinc rod, motor oil, and an outer aluminum container. Before you get out your credit card, however, you might want to check out the following url: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FE-OU-

Apparently KeelyNet (the group providing the review of the fuelless power plans) is a group that believes in the possibility of perpetual motion, fuel-less heaters, etc., and they claim that there were design flaws in the plans provided by fuellesspower.com. There conclusion apparently is that they don't work.

So, let's consider a few items in order to determine the feasibility for a fuel-less heater. The claim is made that an atomic reaction takes place in order to provide heat. An atomic reaction, by definition, means that atoms are being torn apart and re-arranged. Every single atomic reaction involves the production or adsorption of sub-atomic particles (alpha particles, beta particles, gamma rays, neutrons, i.e. radioactive waste). Since the amount of energy produced by each atomic reaction is relatively small, if a significant amount of heat is being generated, there are going to be a large number of sub-atomic particles flying around. These sub- atomic particles are usually simply called "radiation." This is the same type of radiation that causes nuclear reactors to be enclosed in several feet of concrete to keep the radiation from killing anyone close to the reactor. Maybe the radiation from the reactor will only re-arrange your DNA to give you cancer. I wouldn't call that "safe."

And what, exactly, is the atomic reaction that would be taking place in this zinc-motor oil-aluminum device? Hydrogen in the oil turning into helium; carbon turning into nitrogen? I simply don't know of any atomic reaction that could take place between motor oil, aluminum, and/or zinc. There are a number of radioisotopes that generate heat as a result of radioactive decay but that is not something you would want in your basement.

People who sell these types of plans often claim that "big business" or the "government" is supressing this type of technology, just like big oil companies will not allow carburators on the market that give 100 mile per gallon performance for your car. Let's consider the effect of a fuelless heater on the electric power generation business. Much of the electric power generated within the US is produced by burning coal; heat from the coal produces steam which turns turbines and generates power. Operating a coal mine is expensive. If a company in the electric power business could set up an array of zinc-motor oil-aluminum heaters that would produce heat, the electric company could shut down the coal mining operation, shut down the air pollution equipment to clean up the air from the coal burning process, and continue to generate electricity for their paying customers. The profit potential would be enormous. I have been to power generating plants in the middle of Wyoming and Utah, hundreds of miles away from where customers are located (so potentially no one could see if the power company had a row of fuelless heaters providing power). The coal mines are still operating.

Finally, if it is possible to produce a fuel-less heater, I'm sure that I can sell a bunch at our local hardware store for space heaters (and I could have them on the market before "big brother" could stop me). You will also note that fuellesspower.com offers plans for a variety of seemingly impossible devices, any one of which, if they worked, would make the inventor extremely rich. If you can actually build a working model of any of these devices, why would you just sell plans? Instead of buying plans for $30 or $40, wouldn't you be willing to shell out, say $200 for a space heater that you didn't have to plug in, didn't cost anything to operate, and didn't wear out?

I'm not trying to pick on fuellesspower.com. The simple fact of the matter is that conservation of energy is a scientific fact; there is no such thing as free energy or perpetual motion machines. Sorry I can't be more positive, but until someone actually produces a working model of one of these devices, I certainly wouldn't waste my time or money pursuing this particular idea.