Unclassified information on tritium extraction and purification technology: attachment 1

Technical Report · Fri Jan 23 04:00:00 EST 1976

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6809685· OSTI ID:6809685

McNorrill, P L

Several tritium recovery and purification techniques developed at non-production sites are described in the unclassified and declassified literature. Heating of irradiated Li-Al alloy under vacuum to release tritium is described in declassified reports of Argonne National Laboratory. Use of palladium membranes to separate hydrogen isotopes from other gases is described by Argonne, KAPL, and others. Declassified KAPL reports describe tritium sorption on palladium beds and suggest fractional absorption as a means of isotope separation. A thermal diffusion column for tritium enrichment is described in a Canadian report. Mound Laboratory reports describe theoretical and experimental studies of thermal diffusion columns. Oak Ridge reports tabulate ''shape factors'' for thermal diffusion columns. Unclassified journals contain many articles on thermal diffusion theory, experiments, and separation of gas mixtures by thermal diffusion columns; much of these data can be readily extended to the separation of hydrogen-tritium mixtures. Cryogenic distillation for tritium recovery is described in the Mound Laboratory reports. Process equipment such as pumps, valves, Hopcalite beds, and uranium beds are described in reports by ANL, KAPL, and MLM, and in WASH-1269, Tritium Control Technology.

• Research Organization: Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, S.C. (USA). Savannah River Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-09-0001
• OSTI ID: 6809685
• Report Number(s): DPST-75-519
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Processing
060202 -- Fusion Fuels-- Reprocessing-- (1980-1987)
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400105 -- Separation Procedures
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MANAGEMENT
MEMBRANES
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PROCESSING
PRODUCTION
PURIFICATION
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RADIOISOTOPES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
THERMAL DIFFUSION
TRITIUM
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES