Method of producing deuterium-oxide-enriched water. [using power plant cooling cycles]
A method and apparatus for producing deuterium-oxide-enriched water (e.g., as a source of deuterium-rich gas mixtures) are disclosed wherein the multiplicity of individual cooling cycles of a power plant are connected in replenishment cascade so that fresh feed water with a naturally occurring level of deuterium oxide is supplied to replace the vaporization losses, sludge losses and withdrawn portion of water in a first cooling cycle, the withdrawn water being fed as the feed water to the subsequent cooling cycle or stage and serving as the sole feed-water input to the latter. At the end of the replenishment-cascade system, the withdrawn water has a high concentration of deuterium oxide and may serve as a source of water for the production of heavy water or deuterium-enriched gas by conventional methods of removing deuterium oxide or deuterium from the deuterium-oxide-enriched water. Each cooling cycle may form part of a thermal or nuclear power plant in which a turbine is driven by part of the energy and air-cooling of the water takes place in the atmosphere, e.g., in a cooling tower.
- Assignee:
- Rheinisch-Westfalisches-Elektrizitatswert Aktiengesellschaft
- Patent Number(s):
- US 3981977
- Application Number:
- TRN: 77-001065
- OSTI ID:
- 7331362
- Resource Relation:
- Patent Priority Date: Priority date 12 Oct 1968, German, Federal Republic of (F.R. Germany)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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