Hydrogen isotope concentrating apparatus

Abstract

To obtain deuterium in a gas state from a mixed gas of hydrogen and deuterium at a low cost. A first electrodeis an electrode made of a metal allowing hydrogen (H component and D component) to permeate therethrough (hydrogen permeable metal), and the hydrogen permeable metal is Pd, for example. H ions and D ions having permeated through the first electrodeflow to the side of a second electrodein a proton conduction layer. When the first electrodeis used as an anode and the second electrodeas a cathode, H ions and D ions flow in the proton conduction layerfrom the left to the right in the drawing. In that case, hydrogen component in an input gas is more likely to flow into an atmosphere on the cathode side than deuterium component, and an H/D composition ratio accordingly becomes higher in a product gas than in the input gas. In an exhaust gas extracted after H and D components in the input gas are thus consumed, D component has been enriched.