Catalytic oxidation efficiencies for tritium and tritiated methane in a mature, industrial-scale decontamination system

Technical Report · Wed Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1980

OSTI ID:6923482

Mintz, J M; Gildea, P D

Almost all tritium decontamination systems proposed for fusion facilities employ catalytic oxidation to water, followed by drying, to remove tritium and tritiated hydrocarbons from gas streams. One such large-scale system, the gas purification system (GPS), has been operating in the Tritium Research Laboratory (TRL) at Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA, since October 1977. A series of experiments have recently been conducted there to assess the current operating characteristics of the GPS catalyst. The experiments used tritium and tritiated methane and covered a range of temperatures, flow rates, and concentration levels. When contrasted with 1977 data, the results indicate that no measurable degradation of catalyst function had occurred. However, some reduction in active metal surface area, as indicated by B.E.T. surface area measurements (approx. 100 ..-->.. 90 m/sup 2//g) and AES scans (approx. 1.4 ..-->.. 0.9 at% Pt), had occurred. Kinetic rate coefficients were also derived and a rough temperature dependence obtained.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Livermore, CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 6923482
• Report Number(s): SAND-80-8046
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700206* -- Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Environmental Aspects
ALKANES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CATALYSTS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CLEANING
DECONTAMINATION
EFFICIENCY
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
METHANE
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIOISOTOPES
RECOVERY
REMOVAL
THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS
TRITIUM
TRITIUM RECOVERY
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES