Energy: No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

Presentation on theme: "Energy: No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"— Presentation transcript:

1 Energy: No Such Thing as a Free Lunch
Eric Prebys Fermilab

2 First: some acknowledgements
Janet Conrad For letting me try this experiment Bob Park For writing “Voodoo Science” and a lifetime spent at the thankless task of trying to educate the public about science Eric Krieg Catalogs free energy claims and scams I have no idea why Donna Askins This originally started as a proposed guest lecture for a class she was going to give at a local community college Google and Wikipedia!!!

3 Outline Introduction and motivation
A brief history of perpetual motion The science of perpetual motion Some case studies John Keely: the father of the free energy scam Joseph Newman: patent-ly absurd Tom Bearden: the power of technobabble Cars the run on water: people never learn Genesis World Energy: yes, people really are that stupid. Getting it wrong: How honest people convince themselves and others of crazy things. Good science gone bad Cold fusion The point?

4 Why give this lecture? Education Public Service Reality Check
The concepts of work and energy are central to our understanding of nature, and it’s good for everyone to have some knowledge of them. Some seemingly arcane (and boring) principles turn out to be very important. You can learn a lot about good science by studying bad science. Public Service Maybe I can prevent you or one of your relatives from losing money in some energy based investment scam or wasting their lives on a quixotic search for something that doesn’t exist. Reality Check Energy is likely “The Big Issue” of the 21st century Availability Impact As long as we believe there’s a magic technology just around the corner, people will avoid addressing these problems.

5 Evidence: Amazon search "free energy"
Top 5:

6 Definition: How free is "free"?
For the purposes of this discussion, “free energy” refers to transformative technologies that: Can be implemented on an individual basis i.e. non-centralized Will enable dramatic reduction in domestic and/or transportation energy expenses say, a factor of four or more Do not require a lifestyle change Involve only modest capital costs pay for themselves in less than a year or two Some examples which do NOT qualify: Trading in your Hummer for a motorcycle Lifestyle change Converting your home to 100% solar Takes many years to recover the cost

7 In many cases, claims of the second two types really imply the first
Types of “free energy” Perpetual Motion: A device which produces useable output energy with no input energy or fuel. To the extent science declares anything “impossible”, this is impossible. Dramatically improved efficiency in utilizing an existing power source. A legitimate idea, but there limits A new source of energy or radically different way of tapping and established source of energy Examples: cold fusion, zero point energy, hydrinos, etc. In many cases, claims of the second two types really imply the first

8 Most free energy resides solidly here
Definition: Science The Good: Make observations and measurements Develop a model to explain these with the fewest possible variables and assumptions (must also be consistent with all other scientific data). Investigate the predictions and consequences of this model. The Bad Like good science in principle, but lack of rigor and/or bias (intentional or unintentional) lead to erroneous conclusions. The Ugly Propose theories or claim experimental results which cannot possibly be reconciled with significant body of real world data. Can be the product of profound ignorance or deliberate fraud. Aka “Crackpot Science”, “Voodoo Science”, etc Most free energy resides solidly here

9 Bob Park's "Voodoo Science"
The seven warning signs Discoverers make their claims directly to the popular media, rather than to fellow scientists. Discoverers claim that a conspiracy has tried to suppress the discovery. The claimed effect appears so weak that observers can hardly distinguish it from noise. No amount of further work increases the signal. Anecdotal evidence is used to back up the claim. True believers cite ancient traditions in support of the new claim. The discoverer or discoverers work in isolation from the mainstream scientific community. The discovery, if true, would require a change in the understanding of the fundamental laws of nature. Eric’s extra three warning signs Relying on overly complex demonstrations and protocols. Claims are often vague and contradictory. Claims have profound and obvious consequences, which are not addressed.

10 How can we be so sure? After all, we only know what 4% of the universe is made of. Can’t there be some sort of energy source in the other 96%? Maybe, but even if we don’t know what 96% is, we know a lot about what it isn’t.

11 Consider the GPS For a GPS to work, we have to understand
The chemistry of the fuel The dynamics of the launch and orbit The physics of the onboard atomic clocks The E&M involved in generating and transmitting the signal The Special and General Relativity corrections required 38 msec = 11.4 km/day error without them! And then there’s all the physics needed to put that much computing in your hand. None of this would work if unknown particles and forces interacted significantly with ordinary matter.

12 Perpetual motion: a brief history

13 Early perpetual motion machines
The first recorded perpetual motion machines were documented by the Indian author Bhaskara (c. 1159), who made sketches of something called the “Persian Wheel” This device used flowing water (or sand) to create a “perpetual imbalance”

14 Perpetual motion in the West
The first sketch of a perpetual motion machine in the Western world was made by Villard de Honnecourt (c. 1250). The principle was similar to the “Persian Wheel”, but it relied on levers and weights to achieve imbalance. Over the next several centuries, a number of conceptual machines were designed along these lines.

15 Leonardo da Vinci Historians like to point out that Leonardo da Vinci spent a lot of time debunking things like Honnecourt’s wheel. They usually leave out that he personally believed that the key to perpetual motion was some combination of a water wheel and an Archimedes screw. Of course, there was no reason to believe this wouldn’t work – then In fact, can you prove it now?

16 Perpetual motion and physics
We need to examine these early claims in the context of the time. Because there was no theoretical framework to rule out these machines, these people were behaving as good scientists. The fact they didn’t work was an important piece of experimental evidence. All of this changed with Newton F=ma and the “universal law of gravitation” held the mathematical key to ruling out all of these “imbalance” type perpetual motion machines in one fell swoop.

17 Physics and energy In the 18th and 19th centuries, a great deal of physics was done, based mathematically on Newton’s Laws, which formalized the concepts of work, energy, and conservation laws. The 19th century saw the development of thermodynamics Term originally coined by James Joule to describe the science of heat and power Generalized to cover all physical systems Lays out the specifics of the relationship between physical systems and usable energy As new types of physics were discovered, the still fit into this paradigm Electricity and Magnetism Relativity Nuclear energy Quantum Mechanics To date, no confirmed experimental result has violated conservation of energy or the laws of thermodynamics

18 First Law of Thermodynamics
Every system is characterized by an energy (U) This law is also known as “Conservation of Energy” Change in energy “Heat” put into system Work done by system

19 Second Law of Thermodynamics
Not all energy is useable!! Every system is characterized by an “entropy” (S) A measure of energy and degree of order Generally “Low entropy” = high energy and high order The entropy of a “closed” system can never decrease. Can only get work out of system in a transition to a higher entropy state. (S2>S1) This law can be generalized to any potential source of energy.

20 Entropy in classical thermodynamics
Entropy defined by heat transfer and temperature Classically This means if T2<T1, then Total entropy has increased, and we can never decrease it without doing work on the system.

21 Some examples of the 2nd law
Internal Combustion Engine Hydrocarbons burn in a transition to a higher entropy chemical state (chemical thermodynamics) Mechanical work is extracted as hot, compressed gasses (low entropy) go to cool gasses at lower pressure (high entropy)

22 It took a while for entropy to catch on
In 1906, Ludwig Boltzmann took his own life, partially out of frustration over the reluctance to accept his statistical concept of entropy:

23 Modern Perpetual Motion 101
Start with a motor… which turns a generator… which powers the motor… with perhaps some left over! Doesn’t work?? Try adding some gears… or maybe a transformer etc, etc, etc…

24 Redefining the problem
Instead of talking about “perpetual motion”, talk about “over-unity”; that is, gearboxes, transformers, etc, in which the power out is greater than the power in Physically, Pout≤Pin - ALWAYS “Over-unity” = “perpetual motion” - PERIOD torque current angular frequency voltage

25 In case you thought my example was silly
US Patent #7,095,126: ”Internal Energy Generating Power Source” (2006) ABSTRACT An external power source such as a battery is used to initially supply power to start an alternator and generator. Once the system has started it is not necessary for the battery to supply power to the system. The battery can then be disconnected. The alternator and electric motor work in combination to generator (sic) electrical power.

26 Speaking of patents A partial list of US patents purported to support perpetual motion: 2,006,676: “Electrolytic Carburetor” (Garrett Carburetor) 4,074,153: “Magnetic propulsion device” 4,151,431: “Permanent magnet motor” 4,215,330: “Permanent magnet propulsion system” 6,246,561: “Methods for controlling the path of magnet flux…” 6,362,718: “Motionless electromagnetic generator” More about this one later 6,523,646: “Spring driven apparatus” 6,526,925: “Piston driven rotary engine” 6,962,052: “Energy generation mechanism, device and system” 7,095,126: “Internal energy generating power source” The one we just talked about

27 Patents and perpetual motion
The Patent Office has had so much trouble with perpetual motion machine patents, that it’s developed special rules.: “With the exception of cases involving perpetual motion, a model is not ordinarily required by the Office to demonstrate the operability of a device. If operability of a device is questioned, the applicant must establish it to the satisfaction of the examiner” - 35 U.S.C 101 (Examiners’ Handbook) Translation: “If the Patent Office didn’t ask for a working model, they didn’t believe it was a perpetual motion machine”.

28 More about patents Also from the Examiners’ Manual “A rejection under 35 U.S.C. 101 for lack of utility should not be based on grounds that the invention is frivolous, fraudulent or against public policy.” In a judicial case involving this statue, the judge ruled “...we find no basis in section 101 to hold that inventions can be ruled unpatentable for lack of utility simply because they have the capacity to fool some members of the public.“ Translation: “The Patent Office will patent things even if it’s clear they will be used to defraud people”

29 John Keely: the father of the free energy scam
There were a few claims of perpetual motion machines in the early 19th century, but nothing very big. In 1872, John E. Worrel Keely claimed to have discovered a new type of motor, which used some sort of musical resonance to extract energy from the “luminiferous ether”. He formed the “Keely Motor Company”, began giving public demonstrations and selling stock.

30 Keely and his times In the context of the times, Keely’s claims were not all that unbelievable: This was before Special Relativity, and “Luminiferous Ether” was the hypothetical fluid through which electromagnetic waves, including light, propagated. This was the golden age of empirical physics, and finding a way to extract energy from this medium was not yet experimentally ruled out. Keely’s behavior, on other hand, should have raised some alarm bells He never published any data regarding the mode of operation of his machine in scientific journals. He never allowed any independent test or even inspection of his machine.

31 The end of Keely After many years of delays, investors were becoming frustrated with Keely’s failure to produce a commercial device, and his refusal to allow independent testing. They began withdrawing their investments and advising others to do the same. Clara Bloomfield-Moore, a wealth Philadelphia widow, came to the rescue with a large sum of cash and a monthly stipend. which she dramatically reduced after a negative evaluation by the engineer E.A. Scott. In 1890, Keely announced a new product, “The Liberator”, which would allow a motor to run on water. Few people believed him. Keely was hit and killed by a streetcar on November 18, 1898.

32 Keely: postmortem “Scientific American” had always been skeptical of Keely. Following his death, the inspected his home. They discovered an elaborate system of pipes and hoses, connected to his machines through hollowed out legs on the furniture! The entire system was powered by a compressed air tank in the basement.

33 Lessons Keely taught future generations
Focus on attracting “investors” rather than selling devices or demonstrations. Can only charge so much for a demonstration. Can only sell devices until people realize they don’t work. In contrast, can get significant sums from investors and then keep them away with excuses for months or even years. Bring in religion/philosophy Keely tapped into spiritualist/occult beliefs popular in his day, and this trend continued into the early 20th century. Still around today, although many modern free energy gurus favor fundamentalist Christianity. Cultivate the “true believers” Many people really want to believe in these technologies. They will be easily convinced. They will continue to believe in spite of all the evidence.

34 Keely today Keely’s claims were thoroughly and completely debunked years ago. Nevertheless, thousands of people still believe Keely held the key to limitless power and much more. Example “Over 100 years ago, John Ernst Worrell Keely ( ), developed an advanced synthesis of science and philosophy. Keely was harnessing Sound, Light, Heart, Mind and Will to operate revolutionary new machinery and to improve Life and health. This is a science based on Natural Law governing Life, hope and Love and not Death, despair and destruction.” - from the Sympathetic Vibration Physics website

35 Major classes of modern free energy devices
Motors that run on permanent magnets Usually find excuses to connect them to batteries “Over-unity” transformers that put out more electrical power than they take in. Rather than admit they are selling a perpetual motion machine, they will usually claim to be tapping the “Zero Point Energy” (ZPE) Engines that run on water Generally deny being “perpetual motion machines” Instead claim to split water into H and O with “very high efficiency” Fancy jars of goo Cold fusion Self-charging batteries Yet more ZPE devices

36 Joseph Newman: patent-ly absurd
Joseph Newman is probably not a con man. He honestly believes he’s created a motor that produces more output power than it takes in. Involves permanent magnets and Copper coils He stages elaborate, yet ultimately unimpressive, demonstrations. Has a car which runs powered only by batteries. Believes his motor is not perpetual motion because it converts the mass of the copper coils into energy. at 4 mph 68 of 250 V each

37 Joseph Newman's patent attempt
Newman attempted to patent his motor as an over unity device. Application initially rejected out of hand. Under the terms of Patent Code , Newman supplied a working model. This was evaluated by the National Bureau of Standards, which measured the efficiency at <100%, and the patent application was denied. Newman took the case to court, producing an array of “experts” Court rejected Newman’s challenge. Newman ultimately withdrew his US patent application, and turned his attention elsewhere Mexican Patent #MX158113: "MEJORAS A UN SISTEMA Y METODO PARA GENERAR ENERGIA"

38 Technical jargon can be confusing…
OK, that was a little fun nonsense

39 And this guy takes himself seriously!
Compare to And this guy takes himself seriously!

40 Who is Tom Bearden? In short, he’s the cult figure in the free energy community: Next to Tesla, of course He has a B.S. in Math from Northeastern Louisiana University, and a Master’s in Nuclear Engineering from the Georgia Institute Technology. He retired from the Navy at the rank of Colonel This appears to have been his only real job . For a while he identified himself as “Thomas Bearden, PhD” His PhD turned out to be purchased from “Trinity College and University” – a notorious degree mill. He’s back to just “Thomas Bearden” - usually

41 Bearden's claims For decades, Bearden has been making numerous claims involving “over-unity” physics (he avoids the term “perpetual motion”) Claims that these technologies are being suppressed by governments and special interests He has written 10 book on free energy, conspiracy theories, AIDS, … and one on Aikido For example, he believes both the Challenger accident and Chernobyl were triggered by secret “scalar wave” weapons.

42 The "science" of Tom Bearden
Bearden supports his claims with a random stream of physics jargon and famous names: “Zero Point energy”, “Scalar waves”, “Nikola Tesla”, “broken symmetry”, “Aharonov-Bohm Effect”, etc, etc, etc. One analysis of his theories (by real physicists) described them as: "full of misconceptions and misunderstandings concerning the theory of the electromagnetic field” - Carvalho and Rodrigues, “The non sequitur mathematics and physics of the New Electrodynamics proposed by the AIAS group"

43 The motionless electric generator (MEG)
Patented in 2002 by a group led by Bearden. Purports to be a device for extracting energy from the vacuum (or from “scalar waves”, the explanation is not clear). In 2002, Bearden promised a commercial model in “a year or so” As of 2005, he claimed he still needed “$10-$12 million dollars” to develop the MEG into a commercial product. It’s not clear what the money is for, since he claims it has already produced “100 times more energy than was input”. To date, there is still no commercial product. Independent analyst essentially describe it as “a fancy transformer”. Cited by many as “absolute proof” of “over-unity” physics.

44 Energy from water

45 Digression: the popular news media
With a few exceptions, when it comes to science, news media are awful. When it comes to pseudo-science, the media are godawful. When it comes to free energy con games, news media should arguably be charged as accomplices.

46 What a good reporter might have noticed
If you could build a car that runs on water, why would you build a “gas-water hybrid”? Nostalgia? The used “4 ounces of water”, but how much gas? Do you have a lot of call to cut through charcoal? Could it be the Oxygen was combining directly with the Carbon and the charcoal was simply burning itself? Nothing magic about making a flame with Hydrogen from electrolysis. Particularly with a unit the size of an arc-welder. This sort of thing has been tried many times before Google “Brown’s gas”, for example

47 The "science" of Aquygen Like many free energy scams, Aquygen claims their product is based on revolutionary new physics. In this case, a new molecular state of Hydrogen and Oxygen (HHO) Their website includes a scientific paper by R. Santilli at the “Institute for Basic Research” What is the IBR? Well, it has four locations, one for each of its four members: Florida Italy Kazakhstan (and this was before Borat!) Nigeria (OK, should have expected that) Basically, they publish scientific sounding nonsense in support of free energy scams.

48 Motors that run on water
Tapping the energy of water is to the “free energy community” what the Philosopher’s Stone was to alchemists. Recall, Keely himself claimed to have a motor which ran on water in 1890. A patent was issued in 1935 for the “Garrett Carburetor”, which set the standard for countless water schemes to follow. The principle is quite simple: Invent an “efficient” way to use electricity to separate water into Hydrogen and Oxygen. Burn the Hydrogen. Use a small amount of the energy to generate electricity to produce more Hydrogen.

49 Cars that run on water violate the laws of physics as we know them
The problem Burning Hydrogen and Oxygen produces water. Remember the First Law of Thermodynamics An engine that runs on water Starts with water Ends with water (i.e. in the same state) Extracts useable energy Cars that run on water violate the laws of physics as we know them

50 Electrolysis: in the real world
Electrolysis is the process by which electricity is used to break water into Hydrogen and Oxygen Energy is released when the Hydrogen and Oxygen are recombined , which again produces water The energy release in recombining the Hydrogen and Oxygen is always less than the energy used in electrolysis.

51 Application of Hydrogen cycle
Hydrogen can be used to store energy from inherently intermittent sources like wind and solar Lots of practical problems to solve, but no problem with the laws of physics

52 You can fool some of the people all of the time
No matter how many times the notion of extracting power from water is debunked, people still believe it. I could fill a whole talk with cars that run on water Example: Stan Meyer (look for videos on YouTube) Claimed in 1990 to have a dune buggy that ran on water. Got a lot of news coverage, and took a lot of money from investors. In 1996, Meyer an Ohio court found Meyer guilty of “gross and egregious fraud” and ordered him to repay (some) investors $25K In 1998, Meyer died suddenly, at the age of 58 The coroner ruled that Meyer, who suffered from high blood pressure, died of an aneurism Conspiracy theories persist that he was “killed by big oil” Oddly, complete plans remain available on the web – but no one has made them work. You’d think people would be done with energy from water…

53 Genesis World Energy: On December 5, 2002, Genesis World Energy issued a press release announcing “a scientific breakthrough that allows consumers to easily access the energy contained within the hydrogen and oxygen molecular structure of ordinary water” This technology had reportedly been developed by “more than 400 visionaries from a wide range of disciplines”. Oddly, none were named, but we were assured they were very impressive.

54 More oddities In addition to the mysterious “400”, none of the company officers are named, nor does the company appear to have any facilities, or even and address. Skeptics point out that the press release specifies the output of their “Edison Device” in “kilowatts per day” – a nonsensical unit. This error is never corrected The company releases some pictures, but allows no independent inspections.

55 The plot thickens On March 18, 2003, the company announces that it is poised to invest $20 billion in manufacturing facilities to begin producing commercial units in 2004, ramping up to 2 million units per day by the end of the year. Even assuming they mean per business day, at the stated price of $3000 for the domestic unit, this translates to $1.5 trillion in gross annual sales ~ 4 x ~ 1 x

56 Beginning to unravel On April 23, 2003, still having never produced a commercial product, GWE announces a new automotive technology. Many recognize their demonstration device as a child’s toy which had been used in a previous free energy scam. 2004 comes with no commercial product. In response to nervous investors, GWE releases a report from an unnamed “independent lab”. Skeptics immediately jump on numerous errors – including the same unit confusion that was in the original press release.

57 The end of genesis World Energy
On September 23, 2005, Patrick Kelly is arrested in Idaho on a New Jersey warrant. Although his name has never appeared in any news releases, Kelly is identified as the president of Genesis World Energy (which had changed its name to Genesis Scientific and United Fuel Cell Technologies by this time). On September 31, 2006, Kelly pled guilty to securities fraud and was sentence to five years in prison and a $400,000 fine. In sentencing, the judge stated, “the defendant is going to prison because he stole from investors” It’s estimated he took in about $2.5M in “investments” In the end, the “400” turned out to be Kelly and one partner, whose involvement was limited enough that he wasn’t even convicted.

58 Some Lessons from GWE The Good News The Bad News Kelly went to prison.
To the best of my knowledge, no one claims he was framed. The Bad News Even in the normally credulous free energy community, there was skepticism about GWE, because of the outlandish marketing claims, not because of the dubious science. In spite of this skepticism, people invested $2.5M Kelly fell victim to his own greed. There are plenty of equally bogus technologies bilking investors with impunity: Xogen, Aquygen, Black Light Power, etc.

59 Prosecuting energy con men
Kelly was convicted for misappropriating corporate funds for personal expenditures (houses, credit cards for his daughter, etc) Only accused of mishandling about 10% of investment money. Ultimately irrelevant that the technology was bogus Difficult to prosecute based on scientific claims. Most prove: Technology doesn’t work Technology can’t possibly work The people asking for your money know this Most con men are smarter than Kelly Classify investments as “venture capital” Pay themselves a large salary Divert a little money to meaningless “R&D” Continue with impunity

60 Getting it wrong Many of these people are quite sincere in their beliefs. How can they get something as simple as conservation of energy so wrong? A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. In many cases, people apply approximate formulae in situations where they have absolutely no relevance. For example, in the simple case of an A/C power supply driving a purely resistive load, we can write But this equation is not generally true. where, for a sine wave

61 The role of phase in electric circuits
The simple formula Pave=VRMSIRMS only holds when current and voltage have the same phase. More generally, energy goes into the circuit in part of the cycle and is taken out in part of the cycles But even this only works for sinusoidal waveforms. Other waveforms can’t be treated simply.

62 Arbitrary waveforms and power
In general, any waveform can be treated as unique combination of sinusoidal waves. Formally, because the phase shift is a function of frequency the power must be evaluated separately for each frequency component separately. This is standard electrical engineering Example: Sine wave: Square wave: Failure to properly evaluate the circuit can lead to dramatic errors in power calculations.

63 Can it be that simple? Power circuit from Stan Meyer’s “Water Fuel Cell” Electrolysis driving waveform All “over-unity” claims regarding Meyer’s cell result from erroneous evaluation of the power in this complex waveform. Complicated waveforms are a very common feature of “over-unity” circuits.

64 Can it really be that simple? (cont'd)
On a recent Wikipedia discussion, a user who had done extensive experiments that seemed to support Joe Newman’s claims posted the following “Recently I found that AC Power actually is a product of 3 things: The RMS voltage times the RMS current and the power factor of the circuit. The power factor is resistance divided by impedance.” In other words, he had had no idea of the role of phase in circuits while doing his tests. This is not that unusual.

65 Defense of "fringe" science
It’s important to distinguish “crackpot science” from “fringe science” “Fringe science” is science that involves measurements or theories which are extremely difficult to reconcile with the prevailing theoretical framework, but are nevertheless not yet ruled out experimentally. Fringe science is not only legitimate but vital. Many accepted theories were once “fringe” Plate tectnonics Theory of relativity Quantum mechanics Expanding universe Some examples of current fringe experiments include Search for tachyons Gravitational mass of antimatter Unfortunately, unless care is taken, fringe science can easily become crackpot science…

66 Cold fusion: the revolution that wasn't
In 1989, two teams announced they had seen evidence for nuclear fusion at room temperature taking place in a Palladium rod which had been loaded with Deuterium from heavy water. One team, Pons and Fleischmann, claimed energy release at a level which promised practical application. Although difficult to reconcile with solid state physics, there’s nothing a priori impossible about the claim, and theorists struggle to accommodate the result.

67 The road from fallacy to fraud
At the 1989 APS meeting, no one was able to confirm Pons and Fleischmann’s results A CalTech chemist offered an explanation for all of their results in terms of sloppy experimental techniques. Pons and Fleischmann did not attend, as they were busy soliciting funds. In addition, obvious cross-checks were not done Control test with ordinary water Assay for Helium, the product of fusion Cold fusion was dead – scientifically anyway.

68 And yet… Cold fusion is alive and well in the minds of believers
There are magazines, websites, books, products, and conferences. Pons and Fleischmann continue to carry out “research” in France, funded by private investors.

69 Some final comments This is just the tip of the iceberg
Just go to YouTube and search for Tom Bearden Joe Newman Stan Meyer Bedini Motor Or just “free energy” Watch the videos and read the comments Perpetual motion is just one facet of our society’s obsession with pseudo-science Compare the Atsrology section of B&N with the Science section. We will never solve the daunting (and exciting) energy challenges facing us unless we first face reality.