Heavy Water Deuterium Oxide

Over small ranges of temperature (not more than 10 ) the vapour pressures may be interpolated logarithmically as follows at 10°, p=9 205 mm. and log p=0 96402, at 11°,/7=9 840 mm. and log / =0 99299 difference for 1°= 0-02897, for 0-1° 0-0029, for 0-6° 0-01740 logp at 10-6°=0-98142, p=9-581 mm. For large temperature differences a vapour pressure formula ( 18-21,VIIIJ) should be used. Vapour pressures of heavy water (deuterium oxide D2O) are smaller than those of ordinary water. 1 The vapour pressure of mercury is particularly important and has often been determined some values are given below ( °C.) ... 

The scientific world was stunned in March of 1989 when two electrochemists, Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann, reported that they had obtained evidence for the occurrence of nuclear fusion at room temperatures. During the electrolysis of heavy water (deuterium oxide), it appeared that the fusion of deuterons was made possible by the presence of palladium electrodes used in the reaction. If such an observation could have been confirmed by other scientists, it would have been truly revolutionary. It would have meant that energy could be obtained from fusion reactions at moderate temperatures. 

The most common moderators are substances of low atomic weight such as heavy water (deuterium oxide) or graphite. Hydrides (binary compounds corrtaining hydrogen), hydrocarborrs, and beryllium and beryllium oxide have also been used as moderators in certain specialized kinds of reactors. 

Table 1 Comparison of different moderators Heavy Water (Deuterium Oxide)... 

Heavy water (deuterium oxide) will be more dense than ordinary water. 

Heavy water. Deuterium oxide. See also light water. 

Figure 4 Mass spectra of degradate B in Figure 3. Electrospray LC-MS was used with a 0.5m fused silica capillary column, ID 250 pm. The packing material was 5 pm C-18 Chromasil and the mobile phase was 60% acetonitrile in 5 mmol r ammonium acetate with a flow rate of 15 pi min The left-hand panel mass spectrum was obtained with the mobile phase consisting of water and the right-hand panel with the use of heavy water (deuterium oxide) instead. The mass number difference is due to nine hydrogen atoms exchanged with deuterium plus the ion charge H + being changed to D+. (Reproduced with permission from Karl-Erik Karlsson, Astra Hassle/AstraZeneca, Moindal, Sweden.)...

Moderator ma-do- ra-t3r (ca. 1560) n. A material used for slowing down neutrons in an atomic pile or reactor. Usually graphite or heavy water (deuterium oxide). 

This treatise is an exhaustive compilation of physical data on heavy water (deuterium oxide). Some of the more relevant properties that are covered include densities, critical constants, vapor pressures, enthalpies of transition, viscosity, and thermal conductivity, equation of state, and tables of thermodynamic properties as functions of temperature and pressure. 

III-43. Reactors using heavy water (deuterium oxide) as a moderator, a coolant or both have the potential for the same type of accidental release of radioactive material as the corresponding LWRs described above. For a pressure tube reactor, the analyses for loss of coolant accidents need to include ruptures of the pressure tubes as well as header or pipe breaks. Note that... 

Heavy water (deuterium oxide) differs from the vastly more abundant light water, H2O, in having the higher isotope of hydrogen, in place of... 

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