Exchange of oxygen and hydrogen isotopes between water and water vapor: Experimental results

The exchange of {dollar}\delta\sp{18}{dollar}O, {dollar}\delta{dollar}D, and tritium between water and water vapor was quantified using two methods. The first was quiescent equilibration of water samples having widely contrasting isotopic compositions, surface areas, volumes and temperatures, but similar salinities. Rates of exchange (k) depended on surface area and vapor pressure, while the end-point equilibrium was controlled by volume and isotopic composition of the exchanging waters. Values of k ranged from 0.09 to 0.19 cm/day at 22{dollar}\sp\circ{dollar}C and from 0.86 to 0.92 cm/day at 52{dollar}\sp\circ{dollar}C. The second method involved sparging 30 l of tritiated water (5,000 and 630,000 TU) with a constant 15 l/min flux of water-saturated air (TU {dollar}<{dollar} 10). Half of the tritium was exchanged into the vapor effuent over 40 days; k ranged from 0.025/day to 0.030/day. Equilibration with 630,000 TU was observed over a bubble path of 20 cm, suggesting an alternative method of tritium remediation.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Geoscience

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Year

1993

Author dc:creator

• Slattery, Michael Willem

Contributors dc:contributor

• Neil L. Ingraham

Statement dc:rights

• IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/rtds/295

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:oasis.library.unlv.edu:rtds-1294