INSTALLATIONS FOR SEPARATION OF HYDROGEN ISOTOPES BY THE METHOD OF CHEMICAL ISOTOPIC EXCHANGE IN THE WATER - HYDROGEN SYSTEM

The paper presents the results of more than a year of running a pilot setup for separation of hydrogen isotopes using catalytic isotopic exc hange between hydrogen and liquid water. The setup is 5 m high, has th e inner diameter of 28 mm, and is equipped with upper and lower reflux devices. The experimental values of HETP vary from 15 cm at T=333 K t o 38 cm at T=293 K. The setup is capable of upgrading diluted heavy wa ter with 85-90% deuterium content up to [D2O] greater than or equal to 99.95 at.%, yielding daily 4 kg of the product. We also report on the progress in constructing a similar setup for eliminating tritium and an industrial setup, for which the one reported is a prototype.