Verification of hydrogen isotope separation by pressure swing adsorption process: Successive volume reduction of isotopic gas mixture using SZ-5A column

Abstract

For the purpose of verifying the applicability of pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process to such as volume reduction of tritiated waste storage, an experimental series was carried out by a PSA apparatus having a zeolite packed column operated at the liquefied nitrogen temperature, where synthetic zeolite 5A was used as a candidate of adsorbents. Experimental results are shown here which were obtained from cyclic operation of isolating a volume of hydrogen decontaminated with its heaver isotope from a mixture of H 2 and D 2 while reducing a volume of this mixture storage. Successive reduction during six cycles is observed in the inventory of this hydrogen mixture in a gas holder. Experimental data are analyzed in order to evaluate the performance of this PSA process operating the hydrogen isotope separation, where several factors are introduced defining efficiencies of decontamination, volumetric reduction, and so on. These factors suggest that the PSA process is available for successive reduction of a tritiated hydrogen storage inventory. A tritium waste management system of PSA process combined with electrolysis is considerable which is aiming at reducing the inventory of tritiated water in storage.