CETI Patterson Power Cell

The CETI Patterson Power Cell is an electrolysis device invented by James A. Patterson, claimed to be generating more energy than it uses. It is one of several cold fusion cells which have been the subject of media interest but little independent testing.
Mainstream scientists give little credence to the device. Physicist Robert L. Park lists the device in his book Voodoo Science as an example of fraudulent fringe science.
Patterson Power Cell
Construction
The cell has a non-conductive housing. The cathode is composed of thousands of 1 mm microspheres (co-polymer beads), with a flash coat of copper and multiple layers of electrolytically deposited thin film (650 Angstrom) nickel and palladium. The beads are submerged in water with a lithium sulfur (LiSO4) electrolyte solution. This makes the fluid conductive so that electric current can flow though it. When asked about reliability Patterson stated: "When they don't work, it's mostly due to contamination. If you get any sodium in the system it kills the reaction - and since sodium is one of the more abundant elements, it's hard to keep it out." CETI holds at least 3 U.S. patents on the beads.
Claims and observations
Its proponents claim that the device uses less than 1 watt and yet is capable of generating thousands of times this amount of power which is released as heat. The byproducts of nuclear fusion, e.g. a tritium nucleus and a proton or an He nucleus and a neutron, have not been detected in a reliable way, leading a vast majority of experts to think that no such fusion is taking place.
It is further claimed that if radioactive isotopes such as uranium are present, the cell enables the hydrogen nuclei to fuse with these isotopes, transforming them into stable elements and thus neutralizing the radioactivity; and this would be achieved without releasing any radiation to the environment and without expending any energy.
George H. Miley is a professor of nuclear engineering and a cold fusion researcher who claims to have replicated the Patterson Power Cell. During the 2011 World Green Energy Symposium, Miley stated that his device continuously produces several hundred watts of energy. Miley's claims have not convinced mainstream researchers, who believe that the results can be explained by contamination or by misinterpretation of data.
On June 11, 1997, Good Morning America did a follow up with a public demonstration They didn't measure the radioactivity of the beads after the test, thus it can't be discarded that the beads had simply absorbed the uranium ions and become radioactive themselves.
James A. Patterson
Dr. James Patterson of Sarasota, Florida was a retired chemist when he invented the cell.<ref name="voss"/> He died in 2008. During his life he was granted over 150 U.S. patents in a variety of technical disciplines.
Clean Energy Technologies Inc.
Founded in 1995, Clean Energy Technologies Inc. (CETI) of Dallas, Texas, had spent about $2 million on research by 1998, much of it going to pay for patents.<ref namewired2/> James Patterson's grandson, Jim Reding, served as CEO. The president was Jack St. Genis, who was a senior manager at Matsushita, NEC, and IBM; Director of research Lou Furlong, formerly at Exxon.<ref namewired2/><ref name="voss"/>

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