Improved Recovery in H2S–H2O Exchange Process for Increasing Heavy Water Production

GS process is the most widely used bi-thermal exchange process for production of heavy water. This paper describes how recovery of deuterium from natural water can be increased in a GS process plant, from existing limit of 19.6% to 25% by incorporating cold and hot stripper sections in the first stage exchange towers. By increasing recovery, production can be increased and operating costs reduced substantially, leading to enhanced and cheaper heavy water production from similar size plant. These concepts and novel flow sheet changes can be applied to new as well as existing plants by reassigning some of the available contacting stages to stripper sections, and still enhance production rates. They can also be applied to any other bi-thermal exchange process.