Process for recovering heavy hydrogen and heavy water

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR RECOVERING DEUTERIUM FROM WATER WHICH COMPRISES (1) PROVING A CIRCULATING SUPPLY OF HYDROGEN UNDER PRESSURE; (2) CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING WATER INTO SAID HYDROGEN AND CATALYTICALLY TRANSFERRING DEUTERIUM FROM SAID WATER TO SAID HYDROGEN; (3) FURTHER COMPRESSING THE THUS TREATED HYDROGEN; (4) SEPARATING THE RESULTING DEUTERIUM-POOR WATER FROM STHE DEUTERIUM-ENRICHED HYDROGEN AND DRYING THE TALLET; (5) COOLONG SAID DEUTERIUM-ENRICHED HYDROGEN BY ALLOWING THE SAME TO EXPAND; (6) SUBJECTING THE THUS COOLED DEUTERIUM-ENRICHED HYDROGEN TO LOW TEMPERATURE RECTIFICATION TO OBTAIN SUBSTANTIALLY DEUTERIUM-FREE HYDROGEN AS THE TOP PRODUCT AND A DEUTERIUM-FREE TOP PRODUCT; (7) PASSING THE SUBSTANTIALLY DEUTERIUM-FREE TOP PRODUCT IN HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DRIED DEUTERIUM-ENRICHED HYDROGEN PRIOR TO RECTIFICATION TO LOWER THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID ENRICHED HYDROGEN; (8) THEREAFTER COMPRESSING SAID TOP PRODUCT TO A PRESSURE WHICH IS 40 TO 85% OF THE PRESSURE TO WHICH THE HYDROGEN IS COMPRESSED PRIOR TO SEPARATION OF THE WATER THEREFROM IN STEP (4) AND RECYCLING THE THUS COMPRESSED TOP PRODUCT AS THE CIRCULATING SUPPLY OF HYDROGEN; AND (9) RECOVERING DEUTERIUM FROM THE BOTTOM PRODUCT.