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 »
- Inventors:
-
- Idaho Falls, ID
- Los Alamos, NM
- Arco, ID
- Blackfoot, ID
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- EG & G IDAHO INC
- OSTI Identifier:
- 868129
- Patent Number(s):
- 5080693
- Assignee:
- United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
C - CHEMISTRY C01 - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY C01B - NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS
G - PHYSICS G21 - NUCLEAR PHYSICS G21F - PROTECTION AGAINST X-RADIATION, GAMMA RADIATION, CORPUSCULAR RADIATION OR PARTICLE BOMBARDMENT
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC07-76ID01570
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- tritium; monitor; collection; measures; on-line; collects; flowing; inert; gas; stream; separates; non-hydrogen; isotope; contaminating; gases; radioactive; collecting; portion; constructed; various; zirconium; alloys; called; getters; adsorb; forms; temperature; release; consists; heaters; chamber; detectors; guard; incoming; valved; 99; adsorbed; remainder; continues; getter; traces; collected; earlier; exits; decay; predetermined; time; simultaneously; heated; pure; helium; purge; employed; carry; loaded; routed; activity; effluent; passes; readsorbs; removable; replaced; clean; prior; removal; switches; parallel; remove; exiting; removed; analyzed; liquid; scintillation; techniques; entire; sequence; computer; control; analysis; tritium monitor; hydrogen isotope; predetermined time; zirconium alloy; gas stream; inert gas; zirconium alloys; computer control; flowing inert; chamber detector; collecting portion; incoming gas; remove trace; determined time; /95/376/
Citation Formats
Bourne, Gary L, Meikrantz, David H, Ely, Walter E, Tuggle, Dale G, Grafwallner, Ervin G, Wickham, Keith L, Maltrud, Herman R, and Baker, John D. Tritium monitor and collection system. United States: N. p., 1992.
Web.
Bourne, Gary L, Meikrantz, David H, Ely, Walter E, Tuggle, Dale G, Grafwallner, Ervin G, Wickham, Keith L, Maltrud, Herman R, & Baker, John D. Tritium monitor and collection system. United States.
Bourne, Gary L, Meikrantz, David H, Ely, Walter E, Tuggle, Dale G, Grafwallner, Ervin G, Wickham, Keith L, Maltrud, Herman R, and Baker, John D. Wed .
"Tritium monitor and collection system". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/868129.
@article{osti_868129,
title = {Tritium monitor and collection system},
author = {Bourne, Gary L and Meikrantz, David H and Ely, Walter E and Tuggle, Dale G and Grafwallner, Ervin G and Wickham, Keith L and Maltrud, Herman R and Baker, John 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.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {1992},
month = {1}
}