Development of advanced concepts for improved heavy water production technology. Quarterly progress report, October 1, 1978-December 31, 1978

Technical Report · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1979

OSTI ID:6036328

Aldridge, F T; Herman, I P; Marling, J B; Wood, L L

Research on advanced concepts for improved heavy water production technology narrowed its focus from three to two significantly different processes. The process based on infrared laser-induced addition reactions has been discontinued because recent experiments clearly indicated no product yield due to laser excitation. In contrast, a significant breakthrough has been achieved for the process based on CO/sub 2/-laser dissociation of the halocarbon derivative CF/sub 3/CHC1/sub 2/, or Freon 123. A two order-of-magnitude increase in system operating pressure to 100 torr was achieved while maintaining a 1200-fold single-step deuterium enrichment factor by utilizing two-nanosecond duration CO/sub 2/ laser pulses for dissociation. This operating pressure is acceptable for practical utilization of this process for large-scale deuterium separation. A second candidate molcule, CHF/sub 3/ (trifluoromethane), exhibits deuterium-bearing photoproduct with unit yield, similar to Freon 123, but with prospects for even higher deuterium optical selectivity and enrichment factors. A series of Ca-Ni-Cu alloys are being examined to determine the optimum composition for use in deuterium separation by intermetallic hydride chromatography--the second attractive process under continuing intensive investigation.

• Research Organization: California Univ., Livermore (USA). Lawrence Livermore Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 6036328
• Report Number(s): UCID-17736-78-5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES
070101* -- Heavy Water Production
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM HYDRIDES
CHROMATOGRAPHY
COPPER COMPOUNDS
COPPER HYDRIDES
DEUTERIUM
HEAVY WATER
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
ISOTOPE SEPARATION
ISOTOPES
LASER ISOTOPE SEPARATION
LIGHT NUCLEI
NICKEL COMPOUNDS
NICKEL HYDRIDES
NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PRODUCTION
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
STABLE ISOTOPES
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
WATER