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Transcripción del abstract original del autor: 12C and 13C are two stable carbon isotopes. Their ratios in the natural environment are 98.9% and 1.1% respectively. Carbon molecules in methane, the primary component of LNG, also contain the isotopes in the same ratio. With enrichment, the unique features of these isotopes can be utilized. It is our intent to utilize 13C, particularly in the medical field. When a 13C-labeled compound is combined with the technology for its detection, an early diagnosis of diseases can be made by monitoring in vivo the metabolism of the compound. One particular application is the 13C-urea breath test, which has come into practical use recently as a means to diagnose Helicobacter pylori infection, one of the causes of gastric ulcers and some other stomach ailments. Tokyo Gas has developed low-temperature distillation technology for the enrichment of 13CH4 from LNG to answer the need for a relatively inexpensive supply of 13C in large cuantities. Presently, we have succeeded in constructing the world’s first commercial-scale 13CH4 enrichment plant, which uses LNG both as its raw material and as the source of cryogenic energy required for 13CH4 distillation.