Process for the recovery of hydrogen which has been enriched in deuterium

Claim 1

IN A METHOD FOR THE RECOVERY OF HYDROGEN ENRICHED WITH DEUTERIUM EMPLOYING HYDROGEN CONTAINING DEUTERIUM AS THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF DEUTRIUM IN AN EXCHANGE CONCENTRATING SYSTEM IN WHICH STREAMS OF HYDROGEN AND LIQUID WATER ARE PASSED COUNTERCURRENTLY TO EACH OTHER IN DEUTERIUM EXCHANGE RELATION IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYST PROMOTING SUCH EXCHANGE SERIALLY THROUGH TWO COLUMNS MAINTAINED AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES, THE HYDROGEN FIRST PASSING THROUGH THE COLUMN MAINTAINED AT THE HIGHER TEMPERATURE AND THEN THROUGH THE COLUMN MAINTAINED AT A LOWER TEMPERATURE AND THE LIQUID WATER FIRST PASSING THROUGH THE COLUMN MAINTAINED AT THE LOWER TEMPERATURE THEN THROUGH THE COLUMN MAINTAINED AT THE HIGHER TEMPERATURE, THE LIQUID WATER BEING PASSED THROUGH SAID COLUMNS BEING MAINTAINED IN A CLOSED CYCLE, AND HYDROGEN ENRICHED IN DEUTERUIM IS WITHDRAWN FROM THE HYDROGEN STREAM BETWEEN THE TWO COLUMNS AND THE HYDROGEN LEAVING THE COLUMN MAINTAINED AT THE LOWER TEMPERATURE IS DEPLETED IN DEUTERUIM, THE STEPS WHICH COMPRISE PASSING ALL OF THE HYDROGEN LEAVING THE COLUMN OF SAID CONCENTRATING SYSTEM MAINTAINED AT THE LOWER TEMPERATURE TO THE FIRST OF TWO COLUMNS MAINTAINED AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES OF A STRIPPING SYSTEM IN WHICH STRIPPING SYSTEM STREAMS OF THE HYDROGEN AND LIQUID WATER ARE PASSED COUNTERCURRENT TO EACH OTHER IN DEUTERUIM EXCHANGING RELATIONSHIP IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYST PROMOTING SUCH EXCHANGE SERIALLY THROUGH SUCH COULMNS, THE HYDROGEN FROM THE COLUMN OF THE CONCENTRATION SYSTEM MAINTAINED TO THE LOWER TEMPERATURE FIRST PASSING THROUGH THE COLUMN OF THE STRIPPING SYSTEM MAINTAINED AT THE LOWER TEMPERATURE AND THEN PASSING THROUGH THE COLUMN OF SAID STRIPPING SYSTEM MAINTAINED AT THE HIGHER TEMPERATURE AND THE LIQUID WATER FIRST PASSING THROUGH THE COLUMN OF SAID STRIPPING SYSTEM MAINTAINED AT THE HIGHER TEMPERATURE AND THEN THROUGH THE COLUMN OF THE STRIPPING SYSTEM MAINTAINED AT THE LOWER TEMPERATURE, THE LIQUID WATER BEING PASSED THROUGH THE COLUMNS OF SAID STRIPPING SYSTEM BEING MAINTAINED IN A CLOSED CYCLE, WITHDRAWING A PORTION OF THE HYDROGEN FROM THE STREAM OF HYDROGEN LEAVING THE COLUMN OF THE STRIPPING SYSTEM MAINTAINED AT THE LOWER TEMPERATURE TO PROVIDE A HYDROGEN WHICH IS STILL FURTHER DEPLETED IN DEUTERIUM, THE REMAINING PORTION OF SAID STREAM HYDROGEN BEING PASSED THROUGH THE COLUMN OF THE STRIPPING SYSTEM MAINTAINED AT THE HIGHER TEMPERATURE WHEREIN ITS DEUTERIUM CONTENT IS INCREASED AGAIN AND THEN RECYCLING THE HYDROGEN LEAVING THE COLUMN OF THE STRIPPING SYSYTEM MAINTAINED AT THE HIGHER TEMPERATURE TO THE COLUMN OF THE CONCENTRATING SYSTEM MAINTAINED AT THE HIGHER TEMPERATURE.