Method and apparatus for controlling accidental releases of tritium

Patent · Mon Mar 31 23:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:863544

Galloway, Terry R. ^[1]

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1. Berkeley, CA

An improvement in a tritium control system based on a catalytic oxidation reactor wherein accidental releases of tritium into room air are controlled by flooding the catalytic oxidation reactor with hydrogen when the tritium concentration in the room air exceeds a specified limit. The sudden flooding with hydrogen heats the catalyst to a high temperature within seconds, thereby greatly increasing the catalytic oxidation rate of tritium to tritiated water vapor. Thus, the catalyst is heated only when needed. In addition to the heating effect, the hydrogen flow also swamps the tritium and further reduces the tritium release.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): 4,196,176
• OSTI ID: 863544
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/423/376/422/502/
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY
AIR POLLUTION
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CATALYSTS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONTROL
ELEMENTS
ENTHALPY
HEATING
HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
NONMETALS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
OXIDATION
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
POLLUTION
POLLUTION CONTROL
RADIATION PROTECTION
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTION HEAT
SYNTHESIS
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
TRITIUM
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
TRITIUM OXIDES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
accidental
accidental releases
addition
air
apparatus
based
catalyst
catalytic
catalytic oxidation
concentration
control
controlled
controlling
effect
exceeds
flooding
flow
greatly
heated
heating
heats
hydrogen
improvement
increasing
limit
method
oxidation
oxidation rate
oxidation reactor
rate
reactor
reduces
release
releases
specified
sudden
swamps
temperature
tritiated
tritiated water
tritium
tritium concentration
vapor
water
water vapor