Investigations of hydrogen/Li2O surface interactions via quantum chemical cluster methods.

摘要

Both in-reactor and laboratory experiments on ceramic breeder materials have indicated that substantial enhancement of tritium release rate results when small amounts of H(sub 2) (approximately 0.1%) are added to the He purge gas stream. Although a comprehensive understanding of this empirical fact is still lacking, it is expected that surface processes would play a major role in the release process. Despite its significant improvement in tritium release in ceramic breeders, the interaction of hydrogen with lithium containing oxide ceramic surfaces is still poorly understood. If previous experience from non-metallic catalysts can serve as a useful guide, the problem is likely to be non-trivial. At issue here is a sound physical-chemical description of the role played by hydrogen in enhancing tritium release. Only from such an understanding can one construct realistic models for the tritium release/inventory phenomena which have the reliability and predictive capability that are necessary for fusion reactor design in general and blanket design in particular. 17 refs., 3 figs.