Oxygen is a mixture of 3 stable isotopes: oxygen-16 (99.759 Atom%), oxygen-17 (0.037 Atom%) and oxygen-18 (0.204 Atom%). Natural water is a mixture of low boiling-point compound H216O with temperature of boiling point - 100ºC. And high boiling point compound H218O with temperature of boiling - 100.15ºC.
Separation of mixture H216O and H218O carried out in a series of distillation columns. Each column consists of cube-evaporator and self-column with special packing, condenser, and upper reservoir. Steam lift up in the column and interact with water which floating down the packing in film form. At that stage occurs mass exchange process. When steam is getting depleted and steaming down water enriches with high boiling point compound H218O.
Enriched water till 97% Oxygen-18 water passes stage of purification of deuterium (normalization) till such physics-chemical parameters that meet requirements of using in PET centers.
In the heart of method purification lies decomposition of water on oxygen-18 and hydrogen, with next purification of oxygen-18 and synthesis of water-18 from oxygen-18 and purified hydrogen, received from natural water.
Process of producing goes 24 hours a day for many years without any stoppage, manufacturing is supported by the round-the-clock replaceable personal. For every works and technology process has been issued instructions and regulation list according to GMP and ISO 9001-2000 rules.
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