GB698941A - A method of and apparatus for concentrating or separating components of a gas or liquid mixture or concentrating or separating isotopes - Google Patents

Abstract

<PICT:0698941/III/1> <PICT:0698941/III/2> In a method of separating constituents of gases or liquids, particularly mixtures of isotopes, by thermal diffusion and convection between a hot surface and a cold surface, a permeable partition is placed between the surfaces, having apertures for the passage of the constituents of a diameter at least exceeding the mean free path of the molecules under the temperature and pressure conditions at the partition, thus preventing turbulence without hindering thermal diffusion. The apparatus may be a flat box as shown in Fig. 3 where the upper surface h is heated and the lower one c is chilled. Gas entering at the cold surface is split into two components one diffusing towards the cold surface c and leaving at the lower outlet a, the other towards the hot surface h and leaving at upper outlet a. One or more permeable partitions p for example, of metal gauze, permits diffusion and hinders turbulence. Alternatively the appartus may be cylindrical, having a central hot wire or tube with concentric partitions and cold surface. As shown in Fig. 4, the separators may be arranged as a battery, the hot component from the initial separator being fed to a second separator where the partition is arranged to form a larger chamber adiacent the hot surface than the cold, whilst the cold component is fed to a lower separator having a larger cold chamber. The method and apparatus are applicable to separation wherein the substances on both sides of the partition are gaseous, or both liquid, or where the substance on the cold surface condenses and trickles down while that on the hotter side is vapour, in which case an upper collecting chamber communicating with the warm chamber of the separator may be provided, with a cooler for condensing the vapour.