DOE Patents title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Tritium monitor and collection system

Abstract

This system measures tritium on-line and collects tritium from a flowing inert gas stream. It separates the tritium from other non-hydrogen isotope contaminating gases, whether radioactive or not. The collecting portion of the system is constructed of various zirconium alloys called getters. These alloys adsorb tritium in any of its forms at one temperature and at a higher temperature release it as a gas. The system consists of four on-line getters and heaters, two ion chamber detectors, two collection getters, and two guard getters. When the incoming gas stream is valved through the on-line getters, 99.9% of it is adsorbed and the remainder continues to the guard getter where traces of tritium not collected earlier are adsorbed. The inert gas stream then exits the system to the decay chamber. Once the on-line getter has collected tritium for a predetermined time, it is valved off and the next on-line getter is valved on. Simultaneously, the first getter is heated and a pure helium purge is employed to carry the tritium from the getter. The tritium loaded gas stream is then routed through an ion chamber which measures the tritium activity. The ion chamber effluent passes through a collection getter that readsorbsmore » the tritium and is removable from the system once it is loaded and is then replaced with a clean getter. Prior to removal of the collection getter, the system switches to a parallel collection getter. The effluent from the collection getter passes through a guard getter to remove traces of tritium prior to exiting the system. The tritium loaded collection getter, once removed, is analyzed by liquid scintillation techniques. The entire sequence is under computer control except for the removal and analysis of the collection getter. 7 figs.

Inventors:
; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Issue Date:
OSTI Identifier:
7273407
Patent Number(s):
5080693
Application Number:
PPN: US 7-674981
Assignee:
Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:  
AC07-76ID01570
Resource Type:
Patent
Resource Relation:
Patent File Date: 26 Mar 1991
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; TRITIUM; ACTIVITY LEVELS; SAMPLING; SCINTILLATION COUNTING; TRITIUM METERS; DESIGN; ADSORPTION; DESORPTION; LIQUID SCINTILLATION DETECTORS; ON-LINE MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS; BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; COUNTING TECHNIQUES; HYDROGEN ISOTOPES; ISOTOPES; LIGHT NUCLEI; MEASURING INSTRUMENTS; METERS; NUCLEI; ODD-EVEN NUCLEI; ON-LINE SYSTEMS; RADIATION DETECTORS; RADIOISOTOPES; SCINTILLATION COUNTERS; SORPTION; YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES; 440102* - Radiation Instrumentation- Radiation Dosemeters

Citation Formats

Bourne, G L, Meikrantz, D H, Ely, W E, Tuggle, D G, Grafwallner, E G, Wickham, K L, Maltrud, H R, and Baker, J D. Tritium monitor and collection system. United States: N. p., 1992. Web.
Bourne, G L, Meikrantz, D H, Ely, W E, Tuggle, D G, Grafwallner, E G, Wickham, K L, Maltrud, H R, & Baker, J D. Tritium monitor and collection system. United States.
Bourne, G L, Meikrantz, D H, Ely, W E, Tuggle, D G, Grafwallner, E G, Wickham, K L, Maltrud, H R, and Baker, J D. Tue . "Tritium monitor and collection system". United States.
@article{osti_7273407,
title = {Tritium monitor and collection system},
author = {Bourne, G L and Meikrantz, D H and Ely, W E and Tuggle, D G and Grafwallner, E G and Wickham, K L and Maltrud, H R and Baker, J D},
abstractNote = {This system measures tritium on-line and collects tritium from a flowing inert gas stream. It separates the tritium from other non-hydrogen isotope contaminating gases, whether radioactive or not. The collecting portion of the system is constructed of various zirconium alloys called getters. These alloys adsorb tritium in any of its forms at one temperature and at a higher temperature release it as a gas. The system consists of four on-line getters and heaters, two ion chamber detectors, two collection getters, and two guard getters. When the incoming gas stream is valved through the on-line getters, 99.9% of it is adsorbed and the remainder continues to the guard getter where traces of tritium not collected earlier are adsorbed. The inert gas stream then exits the system to the decay chamber. Once the on-line getter has collected tritium for a predetermined time, it is valved off and the next on-line getter is valved on. Simultaneously, the first getter is heated and a pure helium purge is employed to carry the tritium from the getter. The tritium loaded gas stream is then routed through an ion chamber which measures the tritium activity. The ion chamber effluent passes through a collection getter that readsorbs the tritium and is removable from the system once it is loaded and is then replaced with a clean getter. Prior to removal of the collection getter, the system switches to a parallel collection getter. The effluent from the collection getter passes through a guard getter to remove traces of tritium prior to exiting the system. The tritium loaded collection getter, once removed, is analyzed by liquid scintillation techniques. The entire sequence is under computer control except for the removal and analysis of the collection getter. 7 figs.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jan 14 00:00:00 EST 1992},
month = {Tue Jan 14 00:00:00 EST 1992}
}

Patent:
Search for the full text at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Note: You will be redirected to the USPTO site, which may require a pop-up blocker to be deactivated to view the patent. If so, you will need to manually turn off your browser's pop-up blocker, typically found within the browser settings. (See DOE Patents FAQs for more information.)

Save / Share: