Method and apparatus for purifying and separating a heavy component concentrate along with obtaining light gas isotopes

A method for purifying and separating a target heavy component concentrate thereby obtaining components of said concentrate and light gas isotopes, said method including the steps of:

• supplying and separating a target heavy component concentrate flow within a preparatory distillation column thereby forming a low-boiling target component fraction flow and a high-boiling target component fraction flow;
• supplying and separating the low-boiling target component fraction flow within an additional low-boiling target component column thereby forming a purified low-boiling target component fraction flow and an intermediate admixture flow;
• supplying and separating the purified low-boiling target component fraction flow within a production low-boiling target component column thereby forming a production low-boiling target component flow and a stripping gas flow from the production low-boiling target component column;
• supplying and separating the high-boiling target component fraction flow within an additional high-boiling target component column thereby forming a purified high-boiling target component fraction flow and a high-boiling admixture flow;
• supplying and separating the purified high-boiling target component fraction flow within a production high-boiling target component column thereby forming a production high-boiling target component flow and a stripping gas flow from the production high-boiling target component column;
• supplying and separating the stripping gas flow from the production low-boiling target component column within an extraction low-boiling target component column thereby forming a low-boiling admixture flow and an extracted low-boiling target component flow;
• supplying and separating the extracted low-boiling target component flow and the stripped gas flow from the production high-boiling target component column within the preparatory distillation column,
• characterized in that said method including the additional steps of:
• temperature-stabilizing a) the target heavy component concentrate flow, b) the low-boiling target component fraction flow, and c) the high-boiling target component fraction flow, prior to supplying thereof to respective columns;
• irradiating said (a), (b), and (c) flows with ionizing radiation thereby obtaining light gas isotopes and heavy nuclides in the flows;
• purifying the flows in additional purification units;
• concentrating the heavy nuclides by distillation in the high-boiling admixture flow, in the intermediate admixture flow, and in the low-boiling admixture flow;
• concentrating additionally the light gas isotopes by distillation in the stripping gas flow from the production low-boiling target component column, in the stripping gas flow from the production high-boiling target component column, and in the low-boiling admixture flow, while purifying simultaneously the production low-boiling target component flow and the production high-boiling target component flow by distillation;
• and
• obtaining said light gases isotopes from the stripping gas flow of the production low-boiling target component column, from the stripping gas flow of the production high-boiling target component column, and from the low-boiling admixtures flow.