Tritium inventories and leakage: a review and some additional considerations

Conference · Mon Apr 01 04:00:00 EDT 1974

OSTI ID:4306521

Hansborough, L D

From international meeting on the technology of controlled thermonuclear fusion experiments and the engineering aspects of fusion reactors; Austin, Texas, USA (20 Nov 1972). In technology of controlled thermonuclear fusion experiments and the engineering aspects of fusion reactors. Past estimates of tritium inventories and leakage have been based on uncertain tritium solubility and permeation data with blanket sizes that are now considered unacceptably small. The tritium distribution in a 1000-MW(th) reference fusion-reactor plant employing a helium-cooled lithium blanket with a niobium structure is analyzed. An external tritium window is required for tritium recovery from the lithium if permeation rates are linearly dependent on the tritium partial-pressure difference across niobium walls, and the total tritium inventory is 3.87 kg. if permeation rates are dependent on the difference of the square root of the tritium partial pressure across niobium walls, direct tritium recovery from the blanket is possible, and the total tritium inventory is 2.15 kg. Total tritium leakage from the reference reactor is estimated at less than 4 Ci/day. Tritium permeates to the steam system at a rate of 2.45 Ci/day, which results in contamination of the steam system and possible contamination of the steam-system cooling water. (auth)

• Research Organization: Univ. of Texas, Austin; Texas Univ., Austin (USA)
• NSA Number: NSA-29-030969
• OSTI ID: 4306521
• Report Number(s): CONF-721111--
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

*BREEDING BLANKETS
*TRITIUM-- REMOVAL
INVENTORIES
LEAKS
LITHIUM
N70800* --Physics--Controlled Thermonuclear Research-- Thermonuclear Engineering & Equipment
PERMEABILITY
SOLUBILITY
THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS REMOVAL