Tritium separation performance of adsorption/exchange distillation tower packed with structured packing

A water distillation tower of 108 mm in diameter and 1000 mm in height packed with structured packing coated with Zeolite 13X are experimentally tested for detritiation of a large amount of wastewater to be exhausted from nuclear reactors. Separation performance between HTO and H2O under reduced pressure is experimentally verified in the water distillation tower. Enhancement of the xB/xD ratio is experimentally proved under the total reflux condition as a function of evaporation rate. Activation on surfaces of adsorbent coated on the structured packings enhances the stage separation factor. The enhancement ratio is affected by liquid-gas dispersion in the column and flow instability in the packed tower.