Deuterium Oxide Market: The Heavy Water Powering Nuclear and Beyond
The Deuterium Oxide (D2O) market, more commonly known as the heavy water market, is a highly strategic and technologically sophisticated segment of the global chemical industry. Deuterium oxide is a form of water in which the hydrogen atoms are replaced by deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen that contains a neutron in addition to a proton. This seemingly small change in atomic structure gives heavy water a unique set of nuclear properties that make it an indispensable material in the nuclear power industry and a valuable tool in a growing number of other scientific and medical applications.
The primary and most significant application for deuterium oxide is as a moderator and coolant in certain types of nuclear reactors, most notably the CANDU (CANada Deuterium Uranium) reactor. In a nuclear reactor, the fission of uranium atoms releases high-energy neutrons. A moderator is a material that is used to slow down these neutrons,…
