A New Method for the Hydrogen Isotope Exchange Reaction in a Hydrophobic Catalyst Bed

To improve the isotope exchange reaction efficiency between water and hydrogen, a new reactor in which water mists and hydrogen gas react cocurrently was studied. To apply this to the enrichment of tritium in heavy water, a dual temperature isotope exchange reactor which is composed of cocurrent low temperature reactors and the usual countercurrent high temperature reactor was proposed and analyzed using a McCabe-Thiele diagram. By utilizing cocurrent reactors, in combination, the necessary catalyst volume can be reduced to one-tenth as compared with the usual countercurrent low temperature reactor.