Measurement of HETP of SUS Dixon Ring and Porcelain Packing in Small-Scale Water Distillation Column for H₂O-HTO Isotope Separation

Abstract

Series of water distillations in a total reflux mode have been performed in a 100cm height column of 1.6cm I. D. in order to measure values of HETP for various packings, that is, one brass or three SUS Dixon rings and three porcelain packings. The HETP were measured by changing the vapor flow rate within the column. The SUS Dixon ring of 1.5 mm diameter and the porcelain packing of 1.2 mm O. D. had a small HETP (∼5cm), but could not meet a large vapor flow rate because of a large pressure drop. The SUS Dixon ring of 6.0 mm diameter had a small HETP (∼6cm) in the vapor flow rate under 2g/min, but the HETP value increased with increasing the vapor flow rate. The pressure drop for the ring, however, was almost constant in the range of these measurements.

KEYWORDS:

• isotope separation
• distillation
• packed column
• separation factor
• HETP
• total reflux
• tritiated water
• tritium
• Dixon ring
• porcelain packing
• pressure drop