Process for enriching ammonia in deuterium

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR ENRICHING AMMONIA IN DEUTERIUM, COMPRISING FLOWING LIQUID AMMONIA OF LOW DEUTERIUM CONTENT HAVING AN ALKALI METAL AMIDE CATALYST DISSOLVED THEREIN ALONG A PATH IN CONTACT WITH SYNTHESIS GAS COMPRISING HYDROGEN GAS CONTAINING DEUTERIUM CAPABLE OF BEING TRANSFERRED TO SAID LIQUID AMMONIA IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID CATALYST, WHEREBY THE LIQUID AMMONIA BECOMES ENRICHED IN DEUTERIUM IN A TERMINAL PORTION OF SAID PATH; CONCENTRATING THE SOLUTION OF CATALYST FROM LIQUID AMMONIA IN THE TERMINAL PORTION OF SAID PATH BY EVAPORATING A PORTION OF THE AMMONIA THEREFROM; FLOWING SAID CONCENTRATED SOLUTION IN CONTACT WITH SYNTHESIS GAS COMPRISING HYDROGEN GAS OF RELATIVELY LOW DEUTERIUM CONTENT FROM AN INITIAL PORTION OF SAID CONTACT PATH TO REDUCE MATERIALLY THE DEUTERIUM CONTENT OF SAID CONCENTRATED SOLUTION; INJECTING SAID SOLUTION OF CATALYST OF REDUCED DEUTERIUM CONTENT INTO SAID LIQUID AMMONIA OF LOW DEUTERIUM CONTENT ENTERING SAID PATH AND INJECTING SAID SYNTHESIS GAS INTO SAID GAS CONTACT PATH AT A POINT OF SIMILAR DEUTERIUM CONCENTRATION, WHEREBY THE AMOUNT OF DEUTERIUM RECYCLED WITH THE CATALYST IS MINIMIZED.