Process for separating and recovering hydrogen isotope
AssigneeHitachi, Ltd.
InventorsHiroyuki Tsuchiya, Yamato Asakura, Teiji Suzuki, Makoto Kikuchi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Hydrogen isotope is separated and recovered with remarkable reduction in energy consumption in a compact apparatus using a cold reactor and a hot reactor based on dual temperature process by a combination of a first step of at least one isotope exchange reaction stage comprising contacting mists of a feed liquid cocurrently together with a reacting gas with an isotope exchange reaction catalyst at a low temperature, and a second step of a plurality of stages each comprising a gas-liquid contact of the liquid from the first step with vapor of the liquid and the reacting gas and an isotope exchange reaction between the vapor of the liquid and the reacting gas at a high temperature.
Claims12
A process for separating and recovering hydrogen isotopes by a dual temperature process using a cool reactor and a hot reactor, which comprises:
- (1) a first step of at least one stage, each comprising contacting mists of a feed liquid containing a hydrogen isotope species desired to be recovered together with a first reacting gas cocurrently with an isotope exchange reaction catalyst at a low temperature, thereby carrying out an isotope exchange reaction between the mists and the first reacting gas, separating the mist from the first reacting gas, and recovering the mist as a liquid enriched in the desired hydrogen isotope species, and
- (2) a second step of a plurality of stages, each comprising contacting a portion of the liquid enriched in the desired hydrogen isotope species from the first step with a first vapor of the liquid and a second reacting gas in a gas-liquid contact means, thereby carrying out an isotope exchange reaction between the liquid and the first vapor of the liquid, while a second vapor of the liquid and a third reacting gas are contacted cocurrently with an isotope exchange reaction catalyst at a high temperature before the gas-liquid contact in the gas-liquid contact means, thereby carrying out isotope exchange reaction between the vapors of the liquid and the third reacting gas, and introducing the liquid after the gas-liquid contact in the gas-liquid contact means into another gas-liquid means in another stage, thereby repeating the gas-liquid contact, while contacting the vapor of the liquid and another reacting gas before the gas-liquid contact in the gas-liquid contact means with an isotope exchange reaction catalyst in another stage, thereby repeating the isotope exchange reaction between the vapors of the liquid and the another reacting gas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.