Device and method for separating oxygen isotopes

Patent · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:864923

Rockwood, Stephen D ^[1]; Sander, Robert K ^[1]

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1. Los Alamos, NM

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.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 4437958
• OSTI ID: 864923
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/204/422/
17
18
193
air
applied
approximately
arf
arf laser
atoms
cell
coherent
coherent radiation
collect
containing
desired
desired isotope
device
diffraction
diffraction grating
dissociated
embodiments
enriched
ethylene
filter
filtered
gas
gas containing
grating
irradiation
isotopes
isotopic
isotopic gas
isotopically
isotopically enriched
laser
method
mixtures
molecular
molecular oxygen
molecules
narrowly
natural
nm
nuclides
output
oxygen
oxygen atom
oxygen atoms
oxygen gas
oxygen isotopes
photodissociate
photodissociates
preferentially
preselected
prism
produce
produces
radiation
recycled
scavenger
selected isotope
separating
separating oxygen
similarly
tuned
utilize