Improved electrolyzer for enrichment of tritium concentrations in environmental water samples
- Hachinohe Inst. of Technology, 88-1, Myo, Ohbiraki, Hachinohe-shi, Aomori, 031-8501 (Japan)
An electrolytic cell, essentially composed of a solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) film and porous dimensionally stable electrodes (DSEs), was designed to reduce the electrolytic voltage in an electrolyzer. The device achieved a tritium recovery factor of 0.836{+-}0.021 for a volume reduction factor of five when operated at a current of 6 A, while maintaining a water bath temperature below 2 deg.C. Sample and standard waters were simultaneously enriched by connecting two electrolytic cells in series. The sample water was first enriched using a commercially available apparatus with a large electrolytic current of 50 A until the volume in the sample water was reduced to approximately one fifth of the original volume. This 'two-stage electrolysis' enrichment was applied to coastal sea waters from the Aomori prefecture. Tritium concentrations, ranging from 0.2 to 0.5 Bq/L, were found, with a measurement error (i.e. a statistical error of one sigma) of ca. 10% of the obtained values. (authors)
- OSTI ID:
- 22116065
- Journal Information:
- Fusion Science and Technology, Vol. 54, Issue 1; Conference: 8. international conference on tritium science and technology, Rochester, NY (United States), 16-21 Sep 2007; Other Information: Country of input: France; 7 refs; ISSN 1536-1055
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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