Water Distillation as a Method for Separation of Hydrogen and Oxygen Isotopes: State of the Art and Prospects

Vacuum distillation of water is one of the most environmentally friendly and safe methods for separating the hydrogen and oxygen isotopes. A review of literature data that describe the current state of art in the field of process improvement is presented. The characteristics of contact devices used in distillation were analyzed, and ways to improve their efficiency were shown. Data on new developments aimed at evaluating the efficiency of using salt distillation of water for isotope separation were presented. Some aspects of the use of water distillation for concentration of heavy hydrogen and oxygen isotopes and for the preparation of water with reduced deuterium contents were considered.