Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation

Nippon Sanso Corporation

Hitoshi Kihara

Hiroshi Kawakami

Shigeru Hayashida

Takashi Kambe

Hiroshi Tachibana

Shigeyoshi Arai

Nobuaki Egoshi

Takehiro Igarashi

Norihisa Nara

The object of the present invention is to provide a stable isotope concentration method that reduces equipment cost and power without prolonging the start-up time and enables efficient concentration, and the present invention provides a stable isotope concentration method using multiple cascaded distillation columns (1st column to mth column; m is an integer of 2 or more), wherein the method includes a step in which one of gas and liquid is supplied from a position in the vicinity of the bottom of a (n−1)th column to a position in the vicinity of the top of an nth column (1<n≤m), and the other of liquid and gas is returned from a position in the vicinity of the top of the nth column to a position in the vicinity of the bottom of the (n−1)th column; and wherein in each distillation column, when a flow rate of an ascending gas in the column is a first flow rate and a flow rate of the gas or the liquid supplied from a previous column or a next column is a second flow rate, the second flow rate is 4% by volume or more with respect to the first flow rate.

Stable isotope concentration method

A distillation apparatus includes: a distillation column group in which a plurality of distillation columns, which are respectively equipped with a reboiler, is connected in the form of a distillation cascade; feed-gas condensers which liquefy feed gases from respective former distillation columns and feed said liquefied feed gases to respective latter distillation columns; gas-feeding lines which connect the respective former distillation columns and the respective feed-gas condensers; and liquid-feeding lines which connect the respective feed-gas condensers and the respective latter distillation columns.

Distillation device

Method for concentrating nitrogen isotope to obtain a final product nitrogen, in which the stable nitrogen isotope,N, is concentrated, by low-temperature distillation of raw material nitrogen containing trace amounts of oxygen and argon using a plurality of distillation columns in a cascade arrangement. An argon-oxygen mixture is discharged from the bottom of the final column andN-concentrated nitrogen is extracted from a lower intermediate point of the final column. The flow rate of the argon-oxygen mixture discharged from the bottom of the final column is controlled based on the reading of a thermometer installed below the point where the final productN-concentrated nitrogen is extracted, thereby providing a stable nitrogen product.

Method for concentrating nitrogen isotope

The method for concentrating an oxygen isotope or isotopes of the present invention combines the step of concentratingO and/or the step of depletingO that utilizes photodissociation of ozone by a laser beam with an oxygen distillation step that concentrates the oxygen isotope. At this time, it is preferable to carry out a step of isotope scrambling in addition to the above. When both a step of concentratingO and a step of depletingO are carried out, whichever thereof may be done first prior to the other. Also these steps may be placed either before or after the oxygen distillation step. Moreover, at least one of said oxygen distillation step, the concentratingO step, the depletingO step and the isotope scrambling step is preferably carried out twice or more.

Method for concentrating oxygen isotope or isotopes

A distillation apparatus of the present invention includes a distillation column group in which a plurality of distillation columns including a condenser and a reboiler is connected in the form of a cascade; a gas-feeding line which feeds gas from the distillation column to a latter distillation column; a gas line which introduces the gas from the distillation column to the condenser attached to the distillation column; a liquid-line which withdraws a condensed liquid from the condenser; a liquid-reflux line which introduces a part of the condensed liquid from the liquid-line to the distillation column; a liquid-return line which returns the remainder of the condensed liquid from the liquid-line to a former distillation column; a valve provided on the liquid-return line; and a bypass line which connects the liquid-return line and the gas line so as to flow an evaporated gas generated in the liquid-return line to the gas line.

Distillation apparatus

A method of enriching a heavy oxygen isotope by distillation of the present invention includes: a first distillation step of feeding oxygen and ozone generated by an ozonizerinto a distillation columnfilled with a diluent gas, and separating the oxygen, and the ozone and the diluent gas; a photodecomposition step of introducing a mixed gas of the ozone and the diluent gas from a bottom of the distillation column into a photoreaction cell, and irradiating the mixed gas with a laser light to selectively decompose the ozone containing the heavy oxygen isotope; and a second distillation step of returning non-decomposed ozone and oxygen containing the heavy oxygen isotope to the distillation column, and separating the oxygen, and the ozone and the diluent gas.

Method and apparatus for enrichment of heavy oxygen isotopes

A method for concentrating effectively the heavy nitrogen isotopeN to 50 atom % or more in whichNN and/orN, which are molecules containing a heavy nitrogen isotope ofN, are concentrated by distilling successively nitrogen Nusing plural distillation columns Tto Teach of which includes at least one condenser Cto Cand at least one reboiler Rto Rand is arranged in series, and a part of nitrogen in the distillation is drawn out to be subjected to isotope scrambling in an isotope scrambler S, and nitrogen after the isotope scrambling is returned to the distillation to produce nitrogen Nwith aN concentration of 50 atom % or more.

Method for concentrating heavy nitrogen isotope

An apparatus comprising first to third columns, wherein the outlet of a first column reboiler and the inlet of a second column condenser are connected by a first introduction conduit, and the outlet of a second distillation column reboiler and the inlet of a third column condenser are connected by a second introduction conduit, and additionally the outlet of the second column condenser and the inlet of the first column reboiler are connected by a first return conduit, and the outlet of the third column condenser and the inlet of the second column reboiler are connected by a second return conduit.

Apparatus, method for enrichment of the heavy isotopes of oxygen and production method for heavy oxygen water

Apparatus, method for enrichment of the heavy isotope oxygen and production method for heavy oxygen water

In an vapor-liquid contactor for flowing down a liquid along the surface of a packing and contacting said liquid with the vapor while ascending the vapor, the improvement being characterized in that said packing is a non-promoting-fluid-dispersion type structured packing A , A in which various types of thin sheets or tubes for determining the flow direction of the above liquid or vapor is laminated and arranged in the perpendicular direction, and said contactor includes at least one fluid distribution unit E , E formed of a rough distribution part C , C to distribute the liquid roughly and a minute distribution part B , B to distribute the liquid minutely and equally.

Vapor-liquid contactor, cryogenic air separation unit and method of gas separation

A method and apparatus for enrichment of heavy oxygen isotopes is provided wherein an oxygen starting material which contains heavy oxygen isotopes is enriched in at least one of oxygen molecule O O, O O, O O, O O and O O, by means of cryogenic distillation of the oxygen starting material containing heavy oxygen isotopes. In addition, a method and apparatus are provided for further increasing the concentration of at least one of the heavy isotope oxygen molecules by means of conducting isotope scrambling on the above-mentioned plurality of oxygen molecules enriched by means of the above mentioned cryogenic distillation.

Method for enrichment of heavy component of oxygen isotopes

Oxygen starting material, which already contains heavy isotopes of oxygen, is enriched in the heavy isotopes of oxygen by means of cryogenic distillation in an oxygen distillation column system 1A, then water containing a high concentration of the above-mentioned heavy isotopes of oxygen is formed by adding hydrogen to the enriched product and reacting them in a reactor system 3A. This formed water is distilled in the water distillation column system 4A and, thereby, heavy oxygen water enriched in the above-mentioned heavy isotopes of oxygen is produced.

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Chiba, Japan

Hitoshi Kihara