Thermal cycle limits for tritium hydride beds

Technical Report · Thu Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1992

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10173085· OSTI ID:10173085

Klein, J E

During revision of the Tritium Facility Technical Standards, a thermal cycle limit was added to the {open_quotes}Hydride Vessels{close_quotes} Technical Standard. A limit of 1,000 cycles was added since the metallurgical effect of repeated thermal cycling of the stainless steel hydride beds was not known. Procedures would require modifications to record the number of thermal cycles a bed has experienced during its life-time. The calculations in this report show that the operations of the hydride beds in the Tritium Facilities can experience at least 10,000 thermal cycles. Maximum temperature differences across the walls of the hydride beds were calculated to determine the cycle limits. The calculated temperature differentials were less than 50% of the temperature differentials which would require a 10,000 cycle limit. 10,000 cycles is equivalent to cycling the bed over nine times per day for the next three years or five times per day for the next five years. If the expected number of bed cycles for the beds are to be less than 10,000 cycles, the number of thermal cycles for the beds do not need to be recorded or logged. Not logging or tracking the number of thermal cycles for the beds will greatly reduce the administrative burden of operating these vessels. These results are based ultimately on the pressure drop of nitrogen through the hydride bed cooling coils which is controlled by the liquid nitrogen dewer`s 22 psig relief valve. This 22 psi differential for flow and the conservative assumptions made in the calculations gave maximum temperature differentials less than 50 percent of the values allowed for the 10,000 cycle limit. Changes which would increase the liquid nitrogen supply pressure for the beds would need to be reviewed to verify that the conclusions of this report were to remain valid.

• Research Organization: Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-89SR18035
• OSTI ID: 10173085
• Report Number(s): WSRC-TR-92-527; ON: DE93018183; TRN: 93:002559
• Resource Relation: Other Information: PBD: 1992
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
07 ISOTOPES AND RADIATION SOURCES
FLUIDIZED BEDS
THERMAL CYCLING
STAINLESS STEELS
STRESS ANALYSIS
TRITIUM EXTRACTION PLANTS
MODIFICATIONS
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
METALLURGY
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
THERMAL STRESSES
FLUID MECHANICS
HYDRIDES
360203
400105
070000
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
SEPARATION PROCEDURES
ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCE TECHNOLOGY