Method for enrichment of heavy component of oxygen isotopes
AssigneeNippon Sanso Corporation
InventorsShigeru Hayashida, Nobuaki Egoshi, Hitoshi Kihara, Hiroshi Kawakami
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for enrichment of heavy oxygen isotopes is provided wherein an oxygen starting material which contains heavy oxygen isotopes is enriched in at least one of oxygen molecule 16O17O, 16O18O, 17O17O, 17O18O and 18O18O, by means of cryogenic distillation of the oxygen starting material containing heavy oxygen isotopes. In addition, a method and apparatus are provided for further increasing the concentration of at least one of the heavy isotope oxygen molecules by means of conducting isotope scrambling on the above-mentioned plurality of oxygen molecules enriched by means of the above mentioned cryogenic distillation.
Claims25
A method of enrichment of heavy oxygen isotopes comprising:
- enriching an oxygen starting material containing heavy oxygen isotopes in at least one of oxygen molecules selected from the group consisting of 16O17O, 16O18O, 17O17O, 17O18O and 18O18O by means of cryogenic distillation;
- conducting isotope scrambling;
- and
- obtaining an enriched material containing a high concentration of at least one of said oxygen molecules containing said heavy oxygen isotopes.
A method of enrichment of heavy oxygen isotopes comprising:
- supplying an oxygen starting material containing heavy oxygen isotopes to a distillation column packed with structured packing, said oxygen starting material being high purity oxygen obtained from a high purity oxygen preparation device using cryogenic distillation;
- and
- enriching said oxygen starting material containing heavy oxygen isotopes in at least one of oxygen molecules selected from the group consisting of 16O17O, 16O18O, 17O17O, 17O18O and 18O18O, by means of cryogenic distillation, wherein
- said distillation column comprises a condenser for cooling and liquefying a vapor output from said distillation column, and a reboiler for heating and vaporizing a liquid output from said distillation column, and a heating medium for exchanging heat with the output vapor and the output liquid in said condenser and said reboiler, said heating medium being circulated between said condenser and said reboiler and being at least one gas selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen, air, and an exhaust gas emitted from an air liquefying and separating unit provided with said distillation column,
- the density corrected superficial velocity in said distillation column is in the range between 0.8 and 1.8 m/s (kg/m3)½, and
- the distillation pressure in said distillation column is in the range between 1.1 and 2.5 bar.
An apparatus for enrichment of heavy oxygen isotopes comprising:
- at least one distillation column for enriching an oxygen starting material containing heavy oxygen isotopes in at least one oxygen molecule selected from the group consisting of 16O17O, 16O18O, 17O17O, 17O18O and 18O18O by means of cryogenic distillation;
- and
- at least one isotope scrambler for increasing the concentration of at least one oxygen molecule selected from the group consisting of 16O17O, 16O18O, 17O17O, 17O18O and 18O18O in a heavy oxygen isotope enriched material obtained from said distillation column by means of isotope scrambling.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.