Experimental study of separative characteristics of cryogenic-wall thermal diffusion column for H-D and H-T mixtures

The separative characteristics of H-D and H-T mixtures have been measured by using a cryogenic-wall thermal diffusion column (CTD). The experiments were carried out under a continuous feed operation mode. Steady state was attained within 30 min for the 1.5 x 0.3 m phi column used. As the feed flow rate increased, the separation factor of the column decreased and the optimum pressure shifted to a larger region both in the H-D and H-T systems. The maximum separation factor was 16.4 for H-D and 26.0 for H-T at a feed flow rate of 25 cm(3) min(-1) (at 0.1 MPa and 273 K). The optimum pressure, where the maximum separation factor was obtained, was slightly larger in the H-T system than in the H-D system. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.