Description and Performance of Uranium Beds Used to Getter Tritium-Deuterium at the Tritium Systems Test Assembly

摘要

The Tritium Systems Test Assembly, (TSTA), a full size simulation of the fuel loop for a fusion reactor, will circulate 360 g mol/day (1800 g) of DT and will have an inventory of 150 g of tritium. During shutdown, a safe storage system for hydrogen isotopes, primarily DT, is needed. Uranium reacts readily with hydrogen, deuterium or tritium at room temperatures to form U(H,D,T) sub 3 having a dissociation pressure of approximately 10 exp -4 torr. Upon heating to 720 K, the isotopes will desorb at pressures of one to two atmospheres. Uranium beds were selected as a means for long-term storage of the fuel loop inventory. (ERA citation 09:001681)