Thermal Stability Testing of LANA.75

Journal Article · Mon Aug 09 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Fusion Science and Technology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2021.1906135· OSTI ID:1828519

Reynolds, Steven P. ^[1]; Staack, Gregory C. ^[1]; Morgan, Benjamin J. ^[1]

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1. Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

Savannah River Site has used the metal hydride LaNi_4.25Al_0.75 (LANA.75) in the Tritium Facilities for over two decades. LANA.75 beds store significant quantities of tritium but have a limited service life due to the radiolytic decay of tritium to 3He within the metal matrix. It has been shown that the isotherm performance of a tritium-aged LANA.75 sample can be restored by heating under vacuum. Additional investigation is needed to ensure there are no unexpected changes to the hydride before this technique is employed in full-scale beds in the Tritium Facilities. In addition, it is necessary to verify the regenerable behavior and thermal stability of LANA.75 on a small scale prior to it being implemented on a large scale. In this work, a non-tritiated bench-scale LANA.75 sample was held at 750°C under vacuum for 200 h to simulate exposure to multiple restoration evolutions. Hydride isotherm performance, chemical composition, crystallinity, and morphology are compared between the pre-restorative and post-restorative testing samples. No significant changes were observed in composition or crystallinity. Comparison of pre-anneal and post-anneal isotherms showed that performance improved rather than deteriorated during the evolution. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed small growths on the particle surface after exposure to regeneration conditions. Additional testing will be required to determine the cause of these growths.

• Research Organization: Savannah River National Lab (SRNL), Aiken, SC (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM)
• Grant/Contract Number: 89303321CEM000080; AC09-08SR22470
• OSTI ID: 1828519
• Report Number(s): SRNL-STI--2020-00583
• Journal Information: Fusion Science and Technology, Journal Name: Fusion Science and Technology Journal Issue: 7-8 Vol. 77; ISSN 1536-1055
• Publisher: American Nuclear Society
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

08 HYDROGEN
hydrogen
hydrogen storage
regeneration