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Deuterium exchange between hydrogen and water in a trickle bed reactor
Author(s) -
Enright J. T.,
Chuang T. T.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
the canadian journal of chemical engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1939-019X
pISSN - 0008-4034
DOI - 10.1002/cjce.5450560213
Subject(s) - mass transfer , deuterium , catalysis , platinum , hydrogen–deuterium exchange , hydrogen , trickle bed reactor , chemistry , trickle , heavy water , chemical engineering , hydrogen production , chromatography , nuclear physics , organic chemistry , physics , engineering , political science , law
The catalyzed exchange of deuterium between hydrogen and liquid water has been studied as the basis for a heavy water production process. Platinum catalyst which had been waterproofed with Teflon was tested in a 0.2 m diameter trickle bed reactor at pressures and temperatures up to 6 MPa and 440 K. Extensive experimental data were used to test a model of the system which was developed from fundamental principles. It was found that mass transfer plays a very important role in the overall exchange and the conventional theory of vapour/liquid mass transfer does not adequately describe the absorption process. Modelling of the data has resulted in the postulation of a second method of mass transfer whereby HDO transfers directly from the catalyst to the bulk liquid phase.