A Lattice-Assisted Conventional Explanation for LENR, Part I

This paper presents a lattice-assisted conventional explanation for Low Energy Nuclear Reactions and Low Energy Nuclear Reactors (LENR). Using such explanations, calculations, and equations, along with the beneficial behavior and lattice assistance of the palladium-deuteride host material, the so-called “miracles” of LENR are explained. Standard physics and mathematics can explain how a Low Energy Nuclear Reactor works. This paper shows that an LENR reactor is able to create and maintain a chain reaction, similar to a conventional fission reactor. The LENR reactor is able to maintain its reactions, as long as the 2D fuel levels are kept at the required high densities, and as long as the behavior of the host lattice assists in the reaction. This lattice assistance is a process by which the lattice reduces the detrimental effects of the electronic stopping action, which is an action that interferes with the transport of the energetic ions through the reactor and is an adverse effect prevalent in hot fusion reactors. The mechanism by which the LENR reactor is able to maintain its reaction is that the Coulomb barrier is overcome by the transference of kinetic energy—from the energetic child products of the previous reactions, to the cold 2D. This is done via collisions of the cold 2D with energetic child products. When this kinetic energy is transferred to the cold 2D–occurring frequently enough and with a high enough transference of energy–then these newly energized 2D ions are able to overcome the Coulomb barrier, with no unconventional physics needed to explain a subsequent 2D-to-2D reaction. The purpose of this paper is to confirm, with a mathematical and rigorous approach, that an LENR reactor can work and does work, using the standard explanations, calculations, and equations for nuclear reactors.