Device and method for separating oxygen isotopes

Patent · Tue Mar 20 04:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:6782851

Rockwood, S D; Sander, R K

A device and method for separating oxygen isotopes with an ArF laser which produces coherent radiation at approximately 193 nm. The output of the ArF laser is filtered in natural air and applied to an irradiation cell where it preferentially photodissociates molecules of oxygen gas containing /sup 17/O or /sup 18/O oxygen nuclides. A scavenger such as O/sub 2/, CO or ethylene is used to collect the preferentially dissociated oxygen atoms and recycled to produce isotopically enriched molecular oxygen gas. Other embodiments utilize an ArF laser which is narrowly tuned with a prism or diffraction grating to preferentially photodissociate desired isotopes. Similarly, desired mixtures of isotopic gas can be used as a filter to photodissociate enriched preselected isotopes of oxygen.

• Assignee: Dept. of Energy
• Patent Number(s): US 4437958
• OSTI ID: 6782851
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES
070100* -- Physical Isotope Separation
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400203 -- Isotope Exchange & Isotope Separation-- (-1987)
ARGON COMPOUNDS
ARGON FLUORIDES
COHERENT RADIATION
DISSOCIATION
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FLUORIDES
FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
GAS LASERS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
IRRADIATION
ISOTOPE SEPARATION
ISOTOPES
LASER ISOTOPE SEPARATION
LASERS
LIGHT NUCLEI
NUCLEI
OPERATION
OXYGEN 17
OXYGEN 18
OXYGEN ISOTOPES
RADIATIONS
RARE GAS COMPOUNDS
RECYCLING
SCAVENGING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
STABLE ISOTOPES