In situ apparatus and method for providing deuterium oxide or tritium oxide in an industrial apparatus or method

Abstract

An electrochemical hydrogen isotope recycling apparatus for recycling an isotope of hydrogen includes an electrochemical recycling unit, the unit comprising: an anode; a cathode; and an isotope-treated, proton exchange membrane operatively disposed between the anode and cathode, the isotope-treated, proton exchange membrane having heavy water containing the isotope of hydrogen therein, the device configured to receive a feedstream containing the isotope of hydrogen. A process by which high purity hydrogen isotope products are produced using an electrochemical membrane process in which all conventional water containing components are pre-processed using a heavy water containing the isotope of hydrogen.An industrial apparatus 10 and / or method, such as an electrochemical hydrogen isotope recycling apparatus and / or method, includes an apparatus 49 and / or process by which gaseous D2 is recovered in a reactor 3 from a gas stream via a reaction in the reactor with another molecule to form a useful chemical compound containing D.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 62 / 450,841, filed Jan. 26, 2017, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.BACKGROUND[0002]The diatomic molecular isotopes of hydrogen, including deuterium and tritium, are useful in a wide variety of commercial and industrial processes to advantageously improve the properties of a wide variety of products including food and nutrition products, agricultural products, semiconductors, fiber optics, optoelectronics, and others. While there is a strong desire to utilize these isotopes in numerous products and processes, such use has generally been hindered by the high cost associated with the relative scarcity.[0003]Various processes and equipment are used to recycle and reclaim hydrogen, including electrochemical processes and equipment, such as electrochemical pumping using electrochemical pumps. However, these processes and equipment are not generally effect...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent is about a way to prevent the loss of expensive deuterium and tritium in a waste stream, which makes them more economical for use in industrial applications. The invention also involves combining deuterium or tritium with an oxidant to form their corresponding oxide (D2O or T2O), which can then be easily separated from the initial deuterium or tritium supply and converted to D2 or T2 in a second chemical reaction using oxygen. Additionally, the invention can use a fuel cell to convert deuterium or tritium to D2O or T2O.

Problems solved by technology

While there is a strong desire to utilize these isotopes in numerous products and processes, such use has generally been hindered by the high cost associated with the relative scarcity.

However, these processes and equipment are not generally effective to recycle and reclaim isotopes of hydrogen in high purity.

In some equipment and processes that employ deuterium and tritium, there is also an apparatus / process requirement for heavy water (D2O), or super heavy water (T2O), which is expensive and difficult to obtain.

However, there are no known equipment and processes that employ deuterium and tritium that also provide in situ heavy water, or super heavy water.

Images