Tritium oxide wash-out by drops

This paper presents a method of investigation and equipment for studying kinetics of washout tritium oxide (HTO) from air by water drops in laboratory conditions. Water dropsʹ radii of 0.14, 0.17 and 0.21 cm and different times of contact with HTO (different time of flight through HTO vapour) were studied — the concentration of HTO in the dropʹs water is proportional to the concentration of HTO vapour, drop size and the dropʹs duration of flight. Moreover, the average rate of exchange was 0.47 ± 0.02 cm s−1. The rate-limiting stage of the HTO washout mechanism by raindrops is discussed.