Optimum plate spacing for the best recovery of deuterium from water-isotopes mixture in flate-plate thermal-diffusion columns with total expense fixed

摘要

The optimum plate spacings for maximum recovery, maximum production rate and minimum column length in a flat-plate thermal-diffusion column for the improvement of deuterium (D) from water-isotopes mixture (H_2O-HDO-D_2O) have been determined. The recovery of deuterium was estimated from the degree of separation of HDO and D_2O. Considerable improvement in performance is obtainable if the plate spacing is suitably adjusted. The appropriate temperature differences between two vertical plates of a thermal-diffusion column for keeping the total expense fixed are also delineated.