The heavy water is Oxyde of Deutérium (formula: D₂O or ² H₂O). Chemically, it is identical to the normal Eau (H₂O), but the Atomes of Hydrogène of which it is made up are heavy Isotopes, Deutérium, whose core contains a Neutron in addition to the Proton present in each hydrogen atom.

There also exists of water semi-door (HDO or H ² HO), moreover in natural proportion much more important than heavy water.

Gilbert Newton Lewis isolated in 1933 the first sample from pure heavy water.

Physical data

• Temperature of boiling: 101,42 ° Centigrade (214,56 ° Fahrenheit) with Pressure standard.
• Temperature of Solidification: 3,81 °C (38,86 °F) with standard pressure.
• Density: 1,1079 with pressure and temperature standards. It is indeed more " lourde".

Uses

Nuclear magnetic resonance

The deuterium oxide is used in spectroscopy by so called nuclear Magnetic resonance NMR.

Regulator of neutrons

Heavy water is used in certain dies of nuclear reactors like moderating of neutrons with an aim of slowing down the neutrons resulting from reactions of nuclear fission. The neutrons slowed down then have a probability more raised to go to cause new fissions of uranium cores, thus allowing the chain reaction.

The Réacteur CANDU is a nuclear reactor with natural Uranium with pressurized water using this system of moderation.

Water (traditional H₂O) is also able to slow down the neutrons of a reaction of fission. However it absorbs them too much so that the reaction can discuss it even in a natural-uranium-fueled reactor. However, this normal water can be used so uranium enriched is used.

Detector of neutrinos

The Observatoire of neutrinos of Sudbury SNO (Ontario, Canada) uses 1000 tons of heavy water in a tank underground in a mine with more than two kilometers under ground in order to being protected from the cosmic rays. The SNO detects the Effet Tcherenkov produces when a Neutrino crosses heavy water.

Medical considerations

Heavy water is not regarded as Toxique. However some metabolic reactions require traditional water, this is why the exclusive heavy water consumption can be regarded as dangerous for health.

Experiments on Souris showed that the principal effect of this consumption is to reduce the number of Mitose S, gradually causing the degradation of the fabrics which require a rapid regeneration. After several days of heavy water ingestion only, the body fluids contain approximately heavy water 50%. At this time, the symptoms start to appear, of which the reduction of the cellular divisions, in particular for the cells with fast renewal such as those of the hair or the walls of the stomach.

New therapies could perhaps use these effects in order to allow the remission of some Cancer S. However no result was not still published.

Production

On Ground, water semi-door (HDO) is naturally present in water with a proportion of 0,03125% is a molecule for 3200 water molecules. It can be separate traditional water by Distillation or electrolysis, but also by various chemical processes of exchange which exploit affinities different from deuterium and hydrogen for various compounds. These chemical reactions are based on the light difference of Molecular weight, which produces a light difference in the speed to which the chemical reactions occur.

To produce pure heavy water by distillation or electrolysis requires a large cascade of distillers or rooms of electrolysis and consumes great quantities of electricity, this is why the chemical methods are generally preferred.

Norway

See also: Battle of heavy water

In 1934, Norsk Hydro builds with Vemork, in Norway, the first generating station of commercial heavy water, of a capacity of 12 tons per annum. During the Second world war, the Alliés decided to destroy the factory in order to prevent the Germany from developing nuclear weapons. In 1942, a raid of English parachutists fails in this mission, their sailplane being crushed close to the site. All its members die in the accident or are killed by the Germans. In February 1943, a group of twelve British agents is parachuted in Norway; the commando manages to disturb the production for two months, by dynamiting the installations.

November 16th 1943, the Allies release more than four hundred bombs on the production site, incentive the government Nazi to move in Germany all the production. February 20th 1944, a Norwegian partisan runs the vat convoyant heavy water on the Lac Chock ( Tinnsjoe in Norwegian). This sabotage cost the life fourteen Norwegian civilians. The history was used as discussion thread with the film the Heroes of Télémark produces in 1965 and interpreted inter alia by Kirk Douglas.

France

France produced heavy water in very small proportions between 1958 and 1963. The first producing factory was that of the ONIA (National office of Industries of Nitrogen) in Toulouse, in place of famous AZF. Quantities from 2 to 3 tons of heavy water per annum were produced on this Toulouse site that German had selected in 1943 by building a large underground enclosure in the center of the industrial site in preparation for a production as of end 1944 which never took place. The production was continued on the site brother of Mazingarbe (Pas-de-Calais) until in 1971. The main customers were the Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique for his experimental needs and the stopped experimental Nuclear plant of the Mounts of Arrée with Brennilis and in the course of déconstruction today. Part of this production was stored in the south of Toulouse in the old military camp of Clairfont in edge of the Garonne (one of the Toulouse sites of Véolia currently).

Canada

Atomic energy of Canada Limitée (EACL) designed a nuclear reactor requiring of great quantities of heavy water used as a moderating of neutrons. EACL ordered two generating stations of heavy water which were built with Glace Bay with the Canada Atlantique and with Port Hawkesbury in Nova Scotia. These factories proved to have design defects, construction and production. Thereafter Ontario Hydro developed the plane heavy water of Bruce so that it has a reliable internal provisioning for the current and future power stations. These two units were stopped in 1985 when their production proved to be useless.

The generating station of heavy water of the Comté of Bruce in Ontario was the largest heavy water factory of the world with a capacity of 700 tons per annum. 340  000 tons of normal water were necessary to produce a ton of heavy water thanks to the Procédé to hydrogen sulfide of Girdler. This installation belonged to a complex which included the 8 engines CANDU which provided heat and the power for the production of heavy water. The installations were built with Point Douglas in the county of Bruce to the top of the Lake Huron where they had access to water of the Big lakes américano-Canadian. The factory of Bruce was charged in 1979 to provide heavy water in order to satisfy the increase in the production of nuclear energy in Ontario. The factories proved appreciably more effective than envisaged and only three of the four units were built. In 1993 the nuclear program of Ontario Hydro was slowed down then stopped because of an overproduction of electricity. A more parsimonious consumption and a recycling of heavy water as well as the overproduction with Bruce left the Canada with important heavy water stocks sufficient to satisfy its future needs. To finish, the factory of Bruce was closed in 1997, to be gradually dismantled and the cleansed site.

The process of produced Girdler of great quantities of Sulfide of hydrogen, raising environmental concerns in the event of release in the atmosphere. EACL currently seeks other more effective and more ecological processes to produce heavy water. This production is essential for future engines CANDU since heavy water accounts for approximately 20% of the financial investment of each engine.

India

The India is the second heavy water producer of the world thanks to its Heavy Water Board .

Other countries

The Argentine is another declared heavy water producer. The Romania as for it is a producer and exporter.

The Traité nuclear non-proliferation imposes on the governments signatories a voluntary control, via International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of Vienna, on the production and the use of heavy water, as well as an effective physical protection in order to prevent flights.

The Plutonium is a normal by-product of the operation of a heavy-water reactor, being able to allow, after reprocessing (refining), a military programme of manufacture of weapons nuclear power S, as did it the India, Israel, the Pakistan and the North Korea, to quote only those known or suspected of having led their program to the goal.

The Iran, signatory of the treaty in 1970 (before the revolution), has heavy water factories and currently works (2005) on technologies allowing the construction and the exploitation of heavy-water reactors, in addition to its power stations with light water.

Catalog of films

• heavy water plays a big role in some films:

• Heroes of Télémark
• Good voyage, where the Nazis want to seize themselves some to manufacture an atomic bomb. See the article on the Battle of heavy water for the actual facts of the Second world war.

• Like in a few series:

• Stargate SG1 : episode 4x02 " The other coté" , a civilization uses deuterium in order to feed from the generators.
• Hogan' S heroes ( Dad Schultz - Stalag 13 ): episode 1x09 " Water lourde" , Hogan must make disappear a heavy water barrel coming from Norway, and which is kept in the camp

See too

External bonds

• Pharmacological use and off perspective heavy toilets and deuterated compounds , Kushner D.J., Baker A., Dunstall T.G., Canadian newspaper off physiology and pharmacology, 1999, vol. 77, No 2, pp. Have-Aviii (2 p.1/4), pp. 79-88 (French summary)

Be-X-old: Цяжкаявада