WO1991002360A1

WO1991002360A1 - Electrochemical nuclear process and apparatus for producing tritium, heat, and radiation

Info

Publication number: WO1991002360A1
Application number: PCT/US1990/003382
Authority: WO
Inventors: Glen J. Schoessow
Original assignee: Schoessow Glen J
Priority date: 1989-06-30
Filing date: 1990-06-18
Publication date: 1991-02-21
Also published as: AU6870591A; EP0431152A4; EP0431152A1

Abstract

A process for the preparation and recovery of tritium, heat energy, and radiation energy by electrolysis of a liquid medium (21) containing deuterium oxide in an electrolytic cell having a cathode (23) of palladium, or certain other elements by operating the process at about 10° to 300 °C; and an apparatus for this process wherein the cathode (23) comprises a central solid geometrical mass and the anode (25) is an open top cup-shaped vessel positioned adjacently below and encircling the cathode (23).

Description

ELECTROCHEMICAL NUCLEAR PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING TRITIUM- HEAT- AND RADIATION

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to the technical field of elec¬ trochemical nuclear process for making tritium, heat, and radiation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Nuclear fusion has been recently reported in a process in which an electric current was passed through "heavy water" (deuterium oxide) in a cell having as a cathode a bar of pal¬ ladium encircled by a coil of platinum wire as the anode. It was reported that the process produced helium-3, some free neutrons, and heat energy in an amount more than would be ex¬ pected in a nonfusion electrolytic cell. The process was performed at room temperature, contrary to the prior art process teaching that such a process would only occur at a very high temperature, i.e., 50 million degrees Celsius. Only small amounts of heat energy were reported to be produced in the recent experiment, and that was not on a controllable, reproducible basis. There was no report of any unusual pro¬ duction of tritium, an isotope of hydrogen which is highly valued as a radioactive substance for many uses in research and space technology. In my United States patent application, Serial Number 07/373,509, filed June 30, 1989, there is dis¬ closed and claimed a novel process and apparatus to make tritium by electrolysis of deuterium oxide and to recover excess heat and radiation energy. Since the filing of that prior application improvements have been discovered in the process and apparatus.

It is an object of this invention to produce large amounts of energy and some tritium by the electrolysis of "heavy water" or a mixture of heavy water and ordinary water at a temperature up to about 300° Celsius. It is another object of this inven¬ tion to provide a novel electrolysis apparatus for accom¬ plishing the process. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention, relates to a process for producing tritium which comprises electrolyzing a liquid medium containing deuterium oxide at a temperature of 10°-300°C in an electro¬ lytic cell including a cathode and an anode of dissimilar materials submerged in said medium, wherein said anode is a cup-shaped article and said cathode is a solid geometrical mass suspended adjacently above the center of the anode, said anode being made of a substance included in Material A or a substance included in Material B, as defined below, and said cathode being made of a substance included in whichever of Material A and Material B that does not include the substance of said anode; Material A including the elements of Groups 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B and 8 of the Periodic Table of Elements and alloys of said elements with at least one other element of Material A; and Material B including the elements of the noble metals, the Lanthanide Series, and the Actinide Series of the Periodic Table of Elements, and alloys of said elements with at least one other element of Material B, and recovering from said cell tritium, heat energy, and radiation energy.

In preferred embodiments of the invention the cathode is a geometrical mass, such as a block, a sphere, or a cylinder, positioned vertically-Ibove and close to the center of the anode, which is an pen-top, cup-shaped vessel having side walls, a vertical perimeter around the open top, and a flat, continuous bottom wall. A heat energy removal coil may also serve as a condenser, since a condenser is normally employed to condense vapors rising above the liquid medium and return the condensed liquid to the medium. The process of this in¬ vention produces tritium in larger amounts than normally ex¬ perienced, radiation energy in the form of gamma radiation, and heat which is more than 100% of the heat introduced into the process from sources external to the cell. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed to be characteristic of this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organ¬ ization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accom¬ panying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic elevational cross sectional view of one embodiment of the apparatus of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a second embodiment of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a graphical representation of the gamma radia¬ tion and the tritium production over a reaction time of about 100 hours;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken at 4—4 of FIG. 5 of a first alternate embodiment of the electrolytic cell of this invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken at 5—5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken at 6—6 of FIG. 7 of a second alternate embodiment of the electrolytic cell of this invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view taken at 7—7 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic flow sheet of a power plant em¬ ploying the process of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND BEST MODE OF THE INVENTION The process of this invention relates to an electrolysis procedure with the cathode being a metal from Groups 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B or 8 of the Periodic Table of Elements or alloys thereof and the anode being platinum, gold, an element of the Lanthanide Series or the Actinide Series of the Periodic Table of Elements or alloys thereof; and the electrolysis medium being "heavy water", i.e., deuterium oxide (D₂0) or mixtures of a major amount of deuterium oxide with a minor amount of ordinary water (H₂0) . Deuterium is an isotope of hydrogen having a mass of two, i.e., one proton and one neutron in the nucleus and one free electron. Two deuteriums combine with one oxygen atom to form "heavy water" (D₂0) just as two hydrogens combine with one oxygen to form ordinary water (H₂0).

When an electric current is passed through the medium the deuterium ions (positively charged) migrate to the cathode and become tightly compressed together in the atomic metal structure. This causes some pairs of deuterium atoms to merge into new forms, such as helium, tritium, etc. When that merger squeezes a neutron free of its atomic bonds there is a great release of heat energy and radiation energy. That merger is called "fusion" or may be referred to generically as an electrochemical nuclear process.

In accordance with the present process it has been found that when the electrolysis is carried out at temperatures up to about 300°C, preferably 10°-100°, tritium is formed to a much greater extent than has been hitherto known. Tritium is an isotope of hydrogen having a mass of three which means one proton and two neutrons in the nucleus with one free electron. Tritium has widespread use as a tracer in research and in space weapon technology. There also is produced heat energy and radiation energy (gamma) .

The electrolysis medium of this process becomes highly concentrated with tritium which can readily be analyzed and stored. It is reasonably stable, having a half life of 12.33 years.

The apparatus of this invention differs from that of the prior art, in that the apparatus of this invention employs as the cathode a central mass of palladium or other suitable metal encircled by a dish of platinum or other suitable metal. The cathode and anode are immersed in conductive deuterium oxide as the electrolysis medium at a temperature of about 10°-300°C., preferably about 10°-100°C, and subjected to a D.C. electrolysis current. Deuterium oxide is made more con¬ ductive by dissolving therein a chemical compound called an "electrolyte" that will ionize and carry the electrolysis current. Such chemical compounds, or electrolytes, include metallic oxydeuterides, i.e., containing the cation OD where D is deuterium. Examples of such metal oxydeuterides include LiOD, NaOD and KOD. LiOH, and K₂C0₃ are also suitable for this purpose. The preferred electrolyte is lithium oxy- deuteride (LiOD) .

Due to the temperature of the electrolysis medium there is a substantial amount of dissociation of and vaporization of deuterium oxide, and, accordingly, the preferred process and apparatus includes a means for collecting such vapors, partially condensing them, and returning them to the elec¬ trolysis medium. The condensing operation also serves to capture the heat of vaporization and any excess heat in the vapors and to permit that heat to be conducted elsewhere for any chosen purpose.

Reference to the attached drawings will make the fol¬ lowing description more easily understood.

FIG. 1 shows the basic form of the apparatus for oper¬ ating the process. A central containment vessel 20 holds a volume of the electrolysis medium 21, which principally is deuterium oxide (commonly known as "heavy water") which may be diluted with ordinary water, and which contains 0.05 to 0.2, preferably 0.1, molar dissolved lithium electrolyte, such as lithium oxydeuteride, lithium hydroxide, or lithium carbonate. Tne preferred electrolysis medium contains 70- 100% deuterium, 0-30% ordinary water, and an electrolyte as just described in a molar amount of 0.05-0.2.

The cathode 23, submerged in the medium 21, is a mass of metal, preferably palladium, although other suitable metals include those of group IVB of the Periodic Table, i.e., hafnium, titanium, and zirconium, and alloys of any such metal with another metal of this grouping. The anode is an encircling dish-like structure 25 which may be in the form of a shallow pan, or cup, with a perimeter wall, in this case generally cylindrical and equally spaced radially from the central cathode 23. Other shapes than circular and cylin¬ drical are also useful, e.g., square, triangular, or the like. Anode 25 may be a structure impermeable to fluid flow, or it may be mad permeable to fluid flow in the form of a screen, woven wire, perforated plate, or the like. The material from which anode 25 is made is any of the noble metals, i.e., those of the gold and platinum families, esp. nickel, palladium, platinum, copper, silver, and gold; as well as alloys with each other. The cathode 23 and the anode 25 are connected by electrical conducting wires 24 and 26 to a power source for delivering D.C. power; for example, a battery 48 with the appropriate terminals connected to the cathode 23 and anode 25; i.e., the positive terminal to the anode and the negative terminal to the cathode. The amount of electrolysis current required may vary for different em¬ bodiments of the invention but is generally about 5-25 volts and 0.1-10.0 amps, D.C.

Containment vessel 20 is closed at its open end with a tight plug cover 28. A thermocouple 31 enclosed in a glass tube 32 is positioned slightly above the level 22 of the medium to measure the temperature there near cathode 23. A protective glass tubular shield 27 extends from cover 28 to immediately above the level 22 of the electrolysis medium surrounding wire 24 and thermocouple 31. A first vapor vent 29 provides a passageway for vapor from inside shield 27 to outside of cover 28. The vapor may include dissociated deu¬ terium and oxygen which may be condensed and/or recombined, if desired. Cathode 23 hangs suspended by wire 24 generally along the central longitudinal axis of shield 27. Thermo¬ couple 35, also encased in a glass tube 36 is positioned below level 22 to measure the temperature of medium 21. A second vent tube 30 permits vapors to pass from inside con¬ tainment vessel 20 to outside cover 28. The electrical wire connecting anode 25 with battery 48 also passes through cover 28 to outside of containment vessel 20. Insulation covers all sides of containment vessel 20 as shown at 38, for the walls and bottom and a special cover 49 is shown for cover 28. A tunnel 50 is cut into insulation cover 49 to allow vapors from tubes 29 and 30 to be conducted away for condensation, for further treatment, or for disposal. Tunnel 50 also serves as a conduit for wires 24, 26, 33, and 37. Wires 24 and 26 are connected to battery 48 for power. Wires 33 and 37 are connected to a recorder 34 to record the temperatures of thermocouples 31 and 35. An observation tunnel 47 is cut in insulation wall 38 to permit the operator to see the level 22 of the electrolysis medium 21.

There also is shown in FIG. 1 a coil 39 surrounding containment vessel 20 which can be used for several purposes. It has an inlet 40 and an outlet 41 with thermocouples 42 and 43, respectively, to measure the temperatures at the two lo¬ cations and record them on recorder 44 connected by lines 45 and 46, respectively. Since the reaction produces its own heat energy the water in coil 39 is principally used to re¬ ceive that heat for measurement purposes and/or to collect and transfer that heat to other locations for use, e.g., in a power plant. The water in coil 39 also serves to cool the electrolysis medium 21 to maintain it at a selected optimum temperature of 10°-300°C., which preferably is about 10°- 100°C. An alternate procedure to the use of coil 39 is to cover the outside of vessel 20 with a chain of semiconductors or thermopiles which are heated at the end next to the vessel and which are connected to an outside cold junction. This produces electric current directly in a manner similar to a thermocouple.

In FIG. 2 there is shown a second embodiment of the ap¬ paratus of FIG. 1. The difference is that in FIG. 2 there is a coil 51 inside containment vessel 20 rather than coil 39 in FIG. 1 outside of vessel 20. Because of its direct contact with medium 21, coil 51 is able to provide a more efficient heat transfer than is coil 39. If one of the principal uses of the apparatus of this invention is to provide heat energy for conversion to electric power, the .-sign of FIG. 2 is preferred over that of FIG. 1. Still another advantage of the arrangement of FIG. 2 is that coil 51 can be electrically connected (as at 91) to anode 25 and make the electrolysis process function more efficiently, so long as the coil 51 is made of a material operable as the anode. The apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2 are essentially open elec¬ trolysis cells where the vapor from the cell is open to the atmosphere e.g. by way of vents 29 ans 30 in FIG. 1. The ap¬ paratus can also be operated as a closed cell by eliminating vents 29 and 30 and thereby preventing any communication be¬ tween the vapor space above the electrolysis medium 22 and the atmosphere outside of the cells. The closed cell requires, in addition to the features shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a means for recombining dissociated deuterium and oxygen into deuterium oxide. This can be accomplished by passing the dissociated vapors over a catalyst in a procedure known in the prior art. The catalytic recombiner can be located inside or outside of the cell so long as it is sealed from the outside atmosphere.

The process of this invention produces tritium in liquid deuterium oxide, heat energy in excess of that normally ex¬ pected by an electrolysis reaction, and gamma radiation, The amount of tritium and the amount of gamma radiation are di¬ rectly proportional to each other and increase with time of reaction. The process and/or the apparatus may be scaled up for application to commercial power plants by known engin¬ eering principles.

FIG. 3 shows the graphical relationship of the tritium production and the gamma radiation production versus time. This will be discussed more fully below with respect to the working examples.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show a first alternate arrangement of the cathode and anode in the electrolytic cell of this invention. Instead of a single cup-shaped anode (such as 25 in FIGS. 1 and 2) there is a multi-compartmented cup-shaped anode 58 with segmental walls dividing the single internal space in anode 25 into four internal spaσes in anode 58. The single bar cathode 23 in FIGS. 1 and 2 is replaced by four bar cathodes 59 in FIGS. 4 and 5. All of cathode bars 59 are electrically connected to and suspend from a bus bar 60 which is electrically connected to and suspend from a bus bar 60 which is electrically con¬ nected via wire 89 to a power source of D.C. current to run the cell. There is, of course, nothing critical in the number of compartments in the cup-shaped anode or the number of cathode bars to be used; any number is operable.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show a second alternate arrangement of the cathode and anode. Here the cathode and anode are arranged in concentric circular shapes. The anode cup 61 has a plur¬ ality of concentric circular walls to divide the anode 61 internal space into a plurality of concentric spaces, with each space forming a recess for a corresponding tubular cathode 62, except for the central bar, which may be solid or tubular, as desired. The cathode tubes 62 are suspended from and electrically connected to a bus bar 63 which is electrically connected via wire 90 to a power source of D.C. current. Other arrangements of a plurality of cathodes in a plurality of cup-shaped anodes can be employed operatively. It appears to be important, however, to maintain a solid cathode surrounded by cup-shaped walls of the anode.

The generation of tritium, excess heat energy, and radi¬ ation energy is increased in quantity by using plural anode/ cathode systems of FIGS. 4-7 as compared to the single anode/ cathode systems of FIGS. 1-2.

FIG. 8 shows a flow diagram of a power plant using the excess heat energy produced by the electrolytic cell and pro¬ cess of this invention. Cell 64 contains cathode 66 suspended above and in the center of anode cup 65 submerged in a pool containing deuterium oxide and connected to a battery 67 to provide the necessary power for electrolysis. Cell 64 is in a surrounding insulation layer 68 and an insulated cover 69. Two cooling coils 70 and 71 are shown representing, respec¬ tively, an internal coil (as shown in FIG. 2) and an external coil (as shown in FIG. 1) . Water or other suitable liquid is circulated through these coils 70 and 71 to collect the heat generated by the electrolysis process in cell 64. It is not necessary to include both coils 70 and 71, since in some em¬ bodiments either one of the coils is sufficient by itself. The output of coils 70 and 71 passes through lines 73 and 75 which are joined into line 76. If cell 64 has been operating efficiently, line 76 will contain high pressure vapor. If the heat output of cell 64 is not high it may be necessary to add heat by a means not shown to produce vapor in line 76 as it enters turbine 77. Vapor .in line 76 turns turbine 77 which is rotationally joined via shaft 78 to generator 79 to pro- duce electx-ic current that is drawn off through terminals 80 for use elsewhere in any electricity consuming device or pro¬ cess. Spent vapor leaves turbine 77 through line 82 to enter condenser 81 where it is condensed to a liquid by the cooling effect of "water entering coil 83 at inlet 84 and exiting at 85 for disposal or use elsewhere. Condensed liquid in con¬ denser 81 leaves^'through line 86 to pump 87 which returns the liquid to inlets 72 and 74 for coils 70 and 71 of cell 64. The cell 64 of FIG. 8 canbe operated as a pressurized liquid system to produce high pressure liquid in line 76 which can then be expanded to vapor before entering turbine 77. Coolants other than water may be used in coils 70 and 71 if lower pressure systems are desired. Liquid fluorochlorocar- bons (Freons) or aqueous ammonia solutions can be employed where boiling points of 50°-60°C are typical and correspond¬ ingly lower pressures are developed in the vapor to reach acceptable overall efficiencies.

EXAMPLE 1 _

Deuterium oxide containing 0.1 molar lithium metal elec¬ trolyte (LiOD) dissolved therein to make the medium electric¬ ally conductive was subjected to an electrolysis reaction in a cell such as shown in FIG. 1 and described hereinabove em¬ ploying a cylinder of palladium as the cathode suspended in the center of a cylindrical dish of platinum as the anode;

-if with both the anode and cathode submerged in liquid deuterium oxide. A D.C. current of about 15 volts and 1.0 amps is im¬ pressed on the cathode and anode and the reaction is continued for any desired length of time. A coil in which water is circulated around the- electrolysis cell is employed to absorb any heat produced in the cell. A Geiger-Mueller tube is used to detect radiation due to tritium production and to detect any gamma radiation produced in the reaction. The cathode was pretreated by being heated to 400°C in nitrogen, cooled to room temperature, and then the surface was abraded by filing off approximately 0.1 mm. The process as described above was operated continuously over a period of nine days and the ob¬ servedand calculated results are shown in the following tabu¬ lation. Observations were made at the same hour each day and the data recorded and calculated. The water temperatures were recorded and converted to BTU/hr. The energy input was calcu¬ lated as watts of electrical energy and converted to BTU/hr. input so as to calculate an excess of BTU of energy per hour and a ratio of FTU output/BTU input. Energy output did not include heat loss through insulation (38 and 49 in FIGS. 1 and 2) which amounted to approximately 10% of the total heat out¬ put as shown by the results of Run 8 of Example 3 below.

Avg. - 1.39 EXAMPLE 2

In a series of experiments employing the same electrol¬ ysis cell as described in Example 1, the electrolysis medium was analyzed for tritium content and for gamma radiarion with the results shown graphically in FIG. 8. In both instances a standard Geiger-Mueller tube was used to detect the presence of gamma radiation or radiation from tritium. Tritium con¬ tent was measured by extracting a small amount of electrolyte with a long hypodermic needle inserted through a vent (e.g., 29 or 30 in FIG. 1) in the reactor, mixing the sample with a standard scintillation fjLuid, counting the radiation, and converting it to counts per ml. of electrolyte. Tritium is believed to be generated as a gas and may combine with oxygen in the electrolyte to produce liquid tritium dioxide.

EXAMPLE 3

The cells of FIGS. 1 or 2 were operated as described in Example 1 employing a platinum cup as the anode and a palla¬ dium bar as the cathode and conductive deuterium oxide as the medium using lithium oxydeuteride (LiOD) or lithium hydroxide (LiOH) as the conduction enhancer. In all cases the lithium compound was present in 0.1 molar concentration. The follow¬ ing results were obtained.

In Run 2 the cathode was the same Pd block that had been used in Run 1. In Run 4 water was added gradually to the medium (up to 30%) to determine the operability of the process in the presence of ordinary water. In Run 5 the medium was allowed to become depleted to the extent of uncovering a por¬ tion of the cathode to determine the sensitivity of the pro¬ cess of this change. In Run 7 the cathode was natural uranium. In Run 8 ordinary water was used with no D₂0 present so as to check the heat loss in a control experiment. The days of operation in Runs 1-8 were continuous, i.e., 24 hours per day, in all runs except Run 3 which was discon¬ tinuous, i.e., the power was off for one or more short periods (aggregating not more than about 10% of the total op¬ eration time) of time to make adjustments in the cell appa¬ ratus or process.

EXAMPLE 4

The cells of FIGS. 1 and 2 were used in a series of ex¬ periments similar to Example 3 to compare results using dif¬ ferent combinations of anode and cathode materials, although keeping the cathode in the shape of a cup and the anode in the shape of a cylindrical solid bar. Operation was contin¬ uous in Runs 10-12 and discontinuous in Run 9, as generally explained in Example 3. The following results were obtained.

RATIO DAYS OF HEAT ENERGY OUT/ RUN MEDIUM ANODE CATHODE OPERATION HEAT ENERGY IN

9 D₂0+LiOD Pt Pd 58 !•-- ^Av9-

10 D₂0+LiOD Pt Zr 14 ^'1.47 (Avg.⁾

11 D₂0+LiOD Pt Ti 4 1-30 ⁽Avg.)

12 D₂0+LiOD Ni Pd 4 Up to 2.50

The cathode and the anode of the cell of this invention may be selected from either of two large groups of elements and their alloys. One group herein called Material A in¬ cludes hydrogen-loving metals, namely, metals of Groups 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B and 8 of the Periodic Table of Elements which specifically include Sc, Y, La, Ac, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Tc, Re, Fe, Ru, Os, Co, Rh, Ir, Ni, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, and Au. The other group herein called Material B. includes the Lanthanides and Actinides of the periodic Group of Ele¬ ments as well as platinum and gold. These latter elements include La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Ac, Th, Pa, U, Np, Pu, Am, Cm, Bk, Cf, Es, Fm, Md, No, Lw, Pt, and Au. In addition to the elements there may be alloys of an element of Material A or Material B with one or more other elements of the same Material A or Material B. Alloys of mixtures of elements of both Material A and Material B are excluded from this definition. The anode and cathode material in any given cell must be dissimilar materials. Since there is an overlap of four elements in those two groups of elements (La, Ac, Pt, and Au) which may be used either for a cathode or an anode, it is important to note that in no in¬ stance can the same element or alloy be used for both cathode and anode in any single cell.

The most preferred cathode materials are La, Zr, Hf, Cr, Re, Co, Ni, Cu, and Pd, with Pd being the most desirable of all. The most preferred anode materials are Ce, Pr, Th, Ni, Pt, and Au, with Pt being the most desirable of all.

It is believed to be important that the anode be a cup- shaped structure with a bottom wall, single or multiple side- walls, an open top and an open interior space. The cathode should be a solid geometrical shape, such as a sphere, a cylinder, a tetrahedron, a cube, or the like. It is not important that internal voids be eliminated in the cathode, and therefore tubular structures or hollow shapes are accept¬ able, although not preferred. The anode is placed so as to be spaced centrally in the open interior space with respect to the sidewall or sidewalls and the bottom wall. The bottom wall and sidewalls of the anode may be solid and impervious to fluid flow or may be porous, as in a perforated sheet or as in a screen. It is preferable for the anode to be a solid impervious structure. It has been found to be advantageous to pretreat the cathode before use in the electrolysis pro¬ cess of this invention. Preferably the surface of the cathode is roughened, e.g., with a file to remove the glossy finish, and also to abrade the surface, e.g., by cutting minute grooves into the surface by the edge of the file or other similar procedures. . It is believed that the ratio of heat output/heat input and the rate of production of tritium and radiation is en¬ hanced by a pretreatment given to the cathode. The preferred treatment is to heat the cathode to about 400°C in an inert gas, e.g., nitrogen, argon or helium, cooling the cathode to room temperature, and abrading the surface, e.g., by filing, to remove about 0.1 mm. Employing a vacuum instead of an inert gas and employing higher temperatures are alternative procedures. Pretreatment by heat or means appears to be less important for the anode since successful experiments have been made with anodes made of materials as received from the manu¬ facturer without any pretreatment.

The liquid medium of this process is electrically con¬ ductive deuterium oxide or mixture of deuterium oxide and ordinary water where the deuterium oxide is the major com¬ ponent, i.e., more than 50%. Preferably the medium is 70- 100% deuterium oxide and 0-30% water. In order for the medium to be electrically conductive it is preferred for it to contain small amounts of an electrolyte as described above, the amount being 0.05 to 0.2 molar amounts of ioniz- able compounds of lithium, sodium, potassium, cesium, or the like.

While the invention has been described with respect to certain specific embodiments, it will be appreciated that many modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention- It is intended, therefore, by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. In a process for producing heat energy and tritium the improvement which comprises electrolyzing a liquid medium containing deuterium oxide at a temperature of 10°- 300°C in an electrolytic cell including a cathode and an anode of dissimilar materials submerged in said medium wherein said anode is a cup-shaped article and said cathode is a solid geometrical mass suspended adjacently above the center of the anode, said anode being made of a substance included in Material A or a substance included in Material B, as defined below and said cathode being made of a substance included in whichever of Material A and Material B that does not include the substance of said anode; Material A including the elements of Groups 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B, and 8 of the Periodic Table of Elements and alloys of said elements of Material A with at least one other element of Material A; and Material B including platinum, gold, elements of the Lanthanide Series, elements of the Actinide Series of the Periodic Table of Elements, and alloys of said elements of Material A with at least one other element of Material B, and recovering from said cell heat energy and tritium.

2. In the process of Claim 1 the improvement wherein said recovered heat energy is in excess of 100% of the heat energy introduced into said cell from sources external to said cell.

3. In the process of Claim 1 the improvement which addi¬ tionally produces radiation energy in the form of gamma radi¬ ation.

4. In the process of Claim 1 the improvement wherein said medium contains 70-100% deuterium oxide, 0-30% ordinary water, and 0.05-0.2 molar amounts of an electrolyte.

5. In the process of Claim 1 the improvement wherein said medium includes as an electrical conductivity enhancer an ion- izable compound having a cation which is an ion of an element of Group 1A of the Periodic Table of Elements.

6. In the process of Claim 5 the improvement wherein said compound is a salt of lithium, sodium, potassium, or cesium.

7. In the process of Claim 1 the improvement wherein said cathode is lanthanum, zirconium, hafnium, chromium, rhenium, cobalt, nickel, copper, or palladium.

8. In the process of Claim 1 the improvement wherein said cathode is pretreated by being heated to at least 400°C, fol¬ lowed by being cooled to room temperature and then abraded to remove a thin outer layer of not more than about 0.1 mm of the outer surface of said cathode before being employed as the cathode in said cell.

9. In the process of Claim 1 the improvement wherein said anode is platinum, nickel, gold, cerium, praseodymium, or thorium.

10. An apparatus for electrolyzing a conductive liquid medium containing deuterium oxide as the major component thereof, which comprises an electrolysis cell structured and adapted to hold a volume of a conductive liquid containing deuterium oxide with an anode and a cathode submerged in said liquid and spaced apart from each other; characterized in that said anode is a cup-shaped article having a bottom, side walls, an open top and a perimeter around said open top, said cathode is a solid geometrical mass suspended substantially equally spaced from said bottom and said side walls; said apparatus including means to maintain said medium at a tem¬ perature of about 0°-300°C; means to maintain an electrolyzing D.C. current of electricity between said cathode and said anode ; said anode and said cathode being made of dissimilar substances from either of the two groupings defined as Material A and Material B with the proviso that the substances of the anode and cathode in said cell cannot be both included in a single one of said groupings; Material A including the elements of Groups 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B and 8 of the Periodic Table of Elements and alloys of said elements of Material A with at least one other element of Material A; and Material B including platinum, gold, elements of the Lanthanide Series and elements of the Actinide Series of the Periodic Table of Elements, and alloys of said elements of Material B with at least one other element of Material B. -18-

11. The apparatus of Claim 10 characterized in that said anode is made of a liquid impervious sheet and said cathode is a block, sphere, or a cylinder.

12. The apparatus of Claim 10 characterized in that said apparatus additionally includes a condenser to receive vapors from said medium, condense the vapors to liquid, and return the liquid to said cell.

13. The apparatus of Claim 10 characterized in that said apparatus additionally includes a tubular coil submerged in said conductive liquid with a heat exchange fluid flowing through said coil to control the temperature of said con¬ ductive liquid and to remove the heat energy produced in that apparatus.

14. The apparatus of Claim 13 characterized in that said coil is made of the same material as that of said anode and said coil is electrically connected to said anode.