US4276060A
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US
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Chromatographic hydrogen isotope separation
Assignee: United States Department of Energy
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Filing: 1979-05-22
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Granted: 1981-06-30
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Expires: 1999-05-22
Abstract
Abstract Intermetallic compounds with the CaCu 5 type of crystal structure, particularly LaNiCo 4 and CaNi 5 , exhibit high separation factors and fast equilibrium times and therefore are useful for packing a chromatographic hydrogen isotope separation colum. The addition of an inert metal to dilute the hydride improves performance of the column. A large scale mutli-stage chromatographic separation process run as a secondary process off a hydrogen feedstream from an industrial plant which uses large volumes of hydrogen can produce large quantities of heavy water at an effective cost for use in heavy water reactors.
Inventors
- 👤 Frederick T. Aldridge
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 23:47
CPC Classifications
C; C01; C01B; C01B6/00; C01B6/24; B; B01; B01J; B01J20/00; B01J20/02; B01J20/281; C01B3/00; C01B3/50; C01B3/508; C01B4/00; G; G01; G01N; G01N30/00; G01N30/02; G01N2030/022; G01N2030/025
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 30
Claim 1
Independent Claim
42 words
A method of chromatographically separating hydrogen isotopes in a separation column comprising passing isotopically mixed hydrogen gas through a separation medium comprising a hydride forming intermetallic alloy selected from the group of intermetallic alloys with a CaCu 5 type of crystal structure.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
42 words
A method of chromatographically separating hydrogen isotopes in a separation column comprising passing isotopically mixed hydrogen gas through a separation medium comprising a hydride forming intermetallic alloy selected from the group of intermetallic alloys with a CaCu 5 type of crystal structure.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the alloy is selected from the group of alloys with the formula LaNi x Co.sub.(5-x).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 2 wherein the alloy is LaNiCo 4 .
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the alloy is selected from the group of alloys with the formula CaNi x Cu.sub.(5-x).
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 4 wherein the alloy is CaNi 4 Cu.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 1 including the addition of small amounts of other elements selected from the group aluminum, magnesium, chlorine, and sodium.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
55 words
A composition packed in a chromatographic hydrogen isotope separation column comprising: a hydride forming intermetallic compound in powdered form, selected from the group of alloys with the CaCu 5 type of crystal structure; and an inert metal in powdered form which dilutes the hydride forming intermetallic compound to improve the performance of the separation column.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
55 words
A composition packed in a chromatographic hydrogen isotope separation column comprising: a hydride forming intermetallic compound in powdered form, selected from the group of alloys with the CaCu 5 type of crystal structure; and an inert metal in powdered form which dilutes the hydride forming intermetallic compound to improve the performance of the separation column.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
19 words
The composition of claim 7 wherein the ratio of inert metal to metal hydride is approximately 4 to 1.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
22 words
The composition of claim 7 wherein the intermetallic compound is selected from the group of alloys with the formula LaNi x Co.sub.(5-x).
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
13 words
The composition of claim 9 wherein the intermetallic compound is LaNiCo 4 .
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
22 words
The composition of claim 7 wherein the intermetallic compound is selected from the group of alloys with the formula CaNi x Cu.sub.(5-x).
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
13 words
The composition of claim 11 wherein the intermetallic compound is CaNi 4 Cu.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
51 words
An improved method for chromatographic hydrogen isotope separation comprising: packing a chromatographic separation column with hydride forming intermetallic alloys in powdered form selected from the group of alloys with CaCu 5 type of crystal structure; and flowing isotopically mixed hydrogen gas through the column to separate the isotopes by displacement chromatography.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
51 words
An improved method for chromatographic hydrogen isotope separation comprising: packing a chromatographic separation column with hydride forming intermetallic alloys in powdered form selected from the group of alloys with CaCu 5 type of crystal structure; and flowing isotopically mixed hydrogen gas through the column to separate the isotopes by displacement chromatography.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 13 wherein the intermetallic alloy is diluted in the column with an inert metal powder.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 13 wherein the intermetallic alloy is selected from the group of alloys with the formula LaNi x Co.sub.(5-x).
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 15 wherein the intermetallic alloy is LaNiCo 4 .
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 13 wherein the intermetallic alloy is selected from the group of alloys with the formula CaNi x Cu.sub.(5-x).
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 17 wherein the intermetallic alloy is CaNi 4 Cu.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
52 words
An improved method for separating hydrogen isotopes chromatographcially, comprising: packing a separation column with a mixture of a hydride forming metal in powdered form and an inert metal powder to dilute the hydride forming metal; and flowing isotopically mixed hydrogen gas through the column to separate the hydrogen isotopes by displacement chromatography.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
52 words
An improved method for separating hydrogen isotopes chromatographcially, comprising: packing a separation column with a mixture of a hydride forming metal in powdered form and an inert metal powder to dilute the hydride forming metal; and flowing isotopically mixed hydrogen gas through the column to separate the hydrogen isotopes by displacement chromatography.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 19 wherein the ratio of inert metal to hydride forming metal is approximately 4 to 1.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
116 words
A multi-stage plant for the enrichment of heavy hydrogen isotopes in a stream of isotopically mixed hydrogen from a main plant, comprising; a staged series of chromatographic hydrogen isotope separation columns, each column packed with an intermetallic alloy selected from the group of alloys with CaCu 5 type of crystal structure diluted with inert metal powder, the output of each stage being input into the next stage, a stream of isotopically mixed hydrogen being input into the first column and making a single pass through the series of columns, thereby resulting in higher enrichment factors at each successive stage; and a hydrogen return pipe from each column for returning isotopically depleted hydrogen to the main plant.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
116 words
A multi-stage plant for the enrichment of heavy hydrogen isotopes in a stream of isotopically mixed hydrogen from a main plant, comprising; a staged series of chromatographic hydrogen isotope separation columns, each column packed with an intermetallic alloy selected from the group of alloys with CaCu 5 type of crystal structure diluted with inert metal powder, the output of each stage being input into the next stage, a stream of isotopically mixed hydrogen being input into the first column and making a single pass through the series of columns, thereby resulting in higher enrichment factors at each successive stage; and a hydrogen return pipe from each column for returning isotopically depleted hydrogen to the main plant.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
22 words
The plant of claim 21 wherein the intermetallic alloy is selected from the group of alloys with the formula LaNi x Co.sub.(5-x).
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
12 words
The plant of claim 22 wherein the alloy is LaNiCo 4 .
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
22 words
The plant of claim 21 wherein the intermetallic alloy is selected from the group of alloys with the formula CaNi x Cu.sub.(5-x).
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
12 words
The plant of claim 24 wherein the alloy is CaNi 4 Cu.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1984-06-29 | 1984-12-29 | 1985-06-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1988-06-29 | 1988-12-29 | 1989-06-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1992-06-29 | 1992-12-29 | 1993-06-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |