Hydrogen isotope exchange in metal hydride columns

Technical Report · Mon Nov 21 00:00:00 EST 1977

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7092379· OSTI ID:7092379

Wiswall, R; Reilly, J; Bloch, F; Wirsing, E

Several metal hydrides were shown to act as chromatographic media for hydrogen isotopes. The procedure was to equilibrate a column of hydride with flowing hydrogen, inject a small quantity of tritium tracer, and observe its elution behavior. Characteristic retention times were found. From these and the extent of widening of the tritium band, the heights equivalent to a theoretical plate could be calculated. Values of around 1 cm were obtained. The following are the metals whose hydrides were studied, together with the temperature ranges in which chromatographic behavior was observed: vanadium, 0 to 70/sup 0/C; zirconium, 500 to 600/sup 0/C; LaNi/sub 5/, -78 to +30/sup 0/C; Mg/sub 2/Ni, 300 to 375/sup 0/C; palladium, 0 to 70/sup 0/C. A dual-temperature isotope separation process based on hydride chromatography was demonstrated. In this, a column was caused to cycle between two temperatures while being supplied with a constant stream of tritium-traced hydrogen. Each half-cycle was continued until ''breakthrough,'' i.e., until the tritium concentration in the effluent was the same as that in the feed. Up to that point, the effluent was enriched or depleted in tritium, by up to 20%.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-02-0016
• OSTI ID: 7092379
• Report Number(s): BNL-50755
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400203* -- Isotope Exchange & Isotope Separation-- (-1987)
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ALLOYS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHROMATOGRAPHY
CRYOGENIC FLUIDS
DUAL TEMPERATURE PROCESS
ELEMENTS
FLOW RATE
FLUIDS
HIGH TEMPERATURE
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
INTERMETALLIC COMPOUNDS
ISOTOPE SEPARATION
ISOTOPES
ISOTOPIC EXCHANGE
LANTHANUM COMPOUNDS
LANTHANUM HYDRIDES
LIGHT NUCLEI
LOW TEMPERATURE
MAGNESIUM COMPOUNDS
MAGNESIUM HYDRIDES
MEDIUM TEMPERATURE
NICKEL COMPOUNDS
NICKEL HYDRIDES
NONMETALS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PALLADIUM COMPOUNDS
PALLADIUM HYDRIDES
RADIOISOTOPES
RARE EARTH COMPOUNDS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
TRITIUM
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM HYDRIDES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ZIRCONIUM COMPOUNDS
ZIRCONIUM HYDRIDES