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Title: Tritiated Water Interaction with Stainless Steel

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/912459· OSTI ID:912459

Experiments conducted to study tritium permeation of stainless steel at ambient and elevated temperatures revealed that HT converts relatively quickly to HTO. Further, the HTO partial pressure contributes essentially equally with elemental tritium gas in driving permeation through the stainless steel. Such permeation appears to be due to dissociation of the water molecule on the hot stainless steel surface. There is an equilibrium concentration of HTO vapor above adsorbed gas on the walls of the experimental apparatus evident from freezing transients. The uptake process of tritium from the carrier gas involves both surface adsorption and isotopic exchange with surface bound water.

Research Organization:
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE - NNSA
DOE Contract Number:
DE-AC07-99ID-13727
OSTI ID:
912459
Report Number(s):
INL/EXT-07-12584; TRN: US0800408
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English