TSTA compound cryopump
The Tritium System Test Assembly (TSTA), at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, is intended to demonstrate realistic fuel supply and cleanup scenarios for future fusion reactors. The vacuum pumps must be capable of handling large quantities of reactor exhaust gases consisting largely of mixtures of hydrogen and helium isotopes. Cryocondensing pumps will not pump helium at 4.2 K; while cryosorption pumps using molecular sieves or charcoal have good helium pumping speed, the adsorbent clogs with condensed hydrogen while pumping mixtures of both. A solution to this problem is a compound design whereby the first stage condenses the hydrogen species and the second, or sorption, stage pumps the helium. The TSTA pump designed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory uses argon gas to cryotrap the helium in the helium--hydrogen mixture. The argon is sprayed directly onto the 4.2 K surface at a rate proportional to the helium flow rate, permitting continuous pumping of the helium--hydrogen mixtures in a single-stage pump. However, the possibility of differential desorption as a first stage in the TSTA gas separation cycle required the inclusion of a first-state hydrogen isotope condenser. The design, performance, and operating characteristics are discussed.
- Research Organization:
- University of California, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 6403047
- Journal Information:
- J. Vac. Sci. Technol.; (United States), Vol. 18:3
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
CRYOPUMPS
DESIGN
TESTING
VACUUM SYSTEMS
DESORPTION
HELIUM ISOTOPES
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
MIXTURES
THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS
ULTRAHIGH VACUUM
ULTRALOW TEMPERATURE
DISPERSIONS
EQUIPMENT
ISOTOPES
LABORATORY EQUIPMENT
PUMPS
VACUUM PUMPS
700209* - Fusion Power Plant Technology- Component Development & Materials Testing