Method and Apparatus for separating at least one CO isotope compound, especially isotope compound 13C16O, from natural CO, comprising: a rectification column system (110) comprising a plurality of rectification sections (112,114,116,118,120) arranged adjacent to one another in a chain-like manner, including an upper rectification section (112) and a plurality of lower rectification sections (114,116,118,120), each rectification section comprising a heating means (112a,114a,116a,118a,120a) to maintain evaporation of liquid present therein, provided that the heating means (112a) of the at least one of the plurality of rectification sections (112) is provided to comprise a heat pump cycle (112b).

Method and Apparatus for separating at least one CO isotope compound, especially isotope compound 13C16O, from natural CO, comprising: a rectification column system (110) comprising a plurality of rectification sections (112,114,116,118,120) arranged adjacent to one another in a chain-like manner, including an upper rectification section (112) and a plurality of lower rectification sections (114,116,118,120), each rectification section comprising a heating means (112a,114a,116a,118a,120a) to maintain evaporation of liquid present therein, provided that the heating means (112a) of the at least one of the plurality of rectification sections (112) is provided to comprise a heat pump cycle (112b).

The present invention relates to the field of distillation of isotopes obtained by distillation columns. An object of the present invention is to describe an innovative distillation column which provides significant improvements to the prior art. In particular, the distillation column will be a modular innovatively conceived column having any needed height.

The present invention relates to the field of distillation of isotopes obtained by distillation columns. An object of the present invention is to describe an innovative distillation column which provides significant improvements to the prior art. In particular, the distillation column will be a modular innovatively conceived column having any needed height.

The invention provides a method for recovering 3-Helium (3He) from natural Helium (He), comprising the following steps: supplying the feed stream comprising natural liquid helium from an appropriate liquid helium source; introducing a feed stream into a rectification column system; condensing at least a first portion of a vapour stream comprising 3He enriched Helium in the intermediate section of the rectification system, condensing at least a second portion of a vapour stream comprising 3He enriched Helium in the upper section of the rectification system by heat exchange with colder liquid Helium; merging and compressing of the low-pressure vaporous streams; withdrawing an overhead stream comprising 3He enriched Helium from a top section of the rectification system as a product; withdrawing a bottom stream comprising 3He depleted Helium from a bottom section of the rectification system; withdrawing of a vaporous helium stream from the lower part of the rectification system.

The object of the present invention is to provide a stable isotope concentration method that reduces equipment cost and power without prolonging the start-up time and enables efficient concentration, and the present invention provides a stable isotope concentration method using multiple cascaded distillation columns (1st column to mth column; m is an integer of 2 or more), wherein the method includes a step in which one of gas and liquid is supplied from a position in the vicinity of the bottom of a (n1)th column to a position in the vicinity of the top of an nth column (1<nm), and the other of liquid and gas is returned from a position in the vicinity of the top of the nth column to a position in the vicinity of the bottom of the (n1)th column; and wherein in each distillation column, when a flow rate of an ascending gas in the column is a first flow rate and a flow rate of the gas or the liquid supplied from a previous column or a next column is a second flow rate, the second flow rate is 4% by volume or more with respect to the first flow rate.