Investigating the functional conditions of heavy water condenser electrolysis used in Isfahan Zero Power Reactor

The quality of heavy water performance in atomic power plants as a substitute for neutron particles depends on its degree of purity. The concentration of heavy water in the nuclear industry is of significant importance. The Heavy Water Reactor of Isfahan, in the nuclear sector, includes a heavy water purification and condensation system. This was launched at the same time as the reactor was built. For electrolysis of water and its isotopes, such as heavy water, it requires a lot of electrical energy, so it should be economical and workable. Several parameters contribute to the optimization of the operating conditions of the electrically operated apparatus. These parameters can control the number of exhaust gases, energy efficiency, and polarization in electrolysis processes. But the practical study of the role of various parameters on heavy water electrolyzer performance is very costly. Therefore, in this paper, the role of some parameters, such as tube temperature and electrolyte concentration, is modeled on the functional conditions of the electrolyzer by dynamic equations. And by introducing a variety of voltage losses in the electrolyzer system, an equation for the electrolysis voltage is obtained. The electrolyzer voltage equation is selected as the target function. The role of the parameters mentioned in energy efficiency optimization has been investigated. The electrolyzer is alkaline and contains 7% w/w potassium carbonate electrolytes. This electrolyzer has condensed heavy water with a purity of 90% to 99.8%. The results of modeling show that by increasing the concentration of potassium carbonate electrolyte by 10%, the electrolyzer polarization can be reduced (15.4%) and increase the electrical energy efficiency by up to 18.3%. Also, the results of the modeling show that by increasing the temperature to 25 C°, the electrolysis will perform better and reduce the polarization and energy consumption by 4%.