This story was discussed here back in May. At the time, some arguments against noted that no patent existed. Italy has patented a device of some kind. Details are apparently available on request, and an American start-up has acquired domestic distribution rights.
Italian patent application MI2008A000629, filed on April 9, 2008.
Italian Patent No. 1387256 granted on April 6, 2011, expiring on April 9, 2028.
* International patent application (except the U.S.) under the PCT procedure: PCT/IT2008/000532, filed on August 4, 2008.
PCT: International Search Report, October 9, 2010.
PCT: International Preliminary Report on Patentability, October 9, 2010.
* U.S. patent application US2011/0005506 A1, filed on August 4, 2009.
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Patent claims in the granted Italian patent (according to Rossi). The claims are the same as in International Preliminary Report on Patentability:
1. A method for carrying out an exothermal reaction of nickel and hydrogen, characterized in that said method comprises the steps of providing a metal tube, introducing onto said metal tube a nanometric particle nickel powder and injecting into said metal tube a hydrogen gas having a temperature much greater than 150°C and a pressure much greater than 2 bars.
2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that said hydrogen temperature varies in a range from 150°C to 500°C.
3. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that said nickel powder is a nickel isotope powder.
4. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that said hydrogen is injected into said tube under pulsating pressure.
5. A method according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that said hydrogen temperature is a variable temperature which varies in said range from 150°C to 500°C.
6. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that said metal tube is a copper metal tube.
7. A modular apparatus for providing a exothermal reaction by carrying out a method according to claim 1 , characterized in that said apparatus comprises a metal tube (2) including a nanometric particle nickel powder (3) and a high temperature and pressure hydrogen gas.
8. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that in said method catalyze materials are used.
9. An apparatus method according to claim 7, characterized in that in said nickel powder filled metal tube (2) is a copper tube, said copper tube further including at least a heating electrical resistance, said tube being encompassed by a jacket (7) including either water or boron or only boron, said jacket (7) being encompassed by further lead jacket (8) in turn optionally encompassed by a steel layer (9), said jackets (7, 8) being adapted to prevent radiations emitted from said copper tube (2) from exiting said copper tube (2), thereby also transforming said radiations into thermal energy.
10. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that in said apparatus comprises, encompassing said nickel powder, hydrogen and electric resistance (101) containing copper tube (100) a first steel-boron armored construction (102) encompassed by a second lead armored construction (103) for protecting said copper tube (100), a hydrogen bottle connection assembly (106) and a hydrogen bottle (107), said apparatus further comprising, outside of said lead armored construction (103), a cooling water steel outer pipe assembly (105).
http://www.nyteknik.se/nyheter/energi_miljo/energi/article3173090.ece