skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Tritium release from lithium silicate and lithium aluminate, in-reactor and out-of-reactor

Abstract

Studies were conducted to determine the generation and evolution of tritium and helium in lithium aluminate (LiAlO/sub 2/) and lithium silicate (Li/sub 2/SiO/sub 3/) by the reaction: Li/sup 6/ + n ..-->.. /sup 4/He + T. Targets were irradiated 4.4 days in the K-West Reactor snout facility. (Silicate GVR* approximately 2.0 cc/cc; aluminate GVR approximately 1.4 cc/cc.) Gas release in-reactor was determined by post-irradiation drilling experiments on aluminum ampoules containing silicate and aluminate targets. In-reactor tritium release (at approximately 100/sup 0/C) was found to decrease linearly with increasing target density. Tritium released in-reactor was primarily in the noncondensible form (HT and T/sub 2/), while in laboratory extractions (300-1300/sup 0/C), the tritium appeared primarily in the condensible form (HTO and T/sub 2/O). Concentrations of HT (and presumably HTO) were relatively high, indicating moisture pickup in canning operations or by inleakage of moisture after the capsule was welded. Impurities in extracted gases included H/sub 2/O, CO/sub 2/, CO, O/sub 2/, H/sub 2/, NO, SO/sub 2/, SiF/sub 4/ and traces of hydrocarbons.

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, WA (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
7329492
Report Number(s):
BNWL-2116
TRN: 77-001851
DOE Contract Number:  
E(45-1)-1830
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; ALUMINIUM OXIDES; NEUTRON REACTIONS; LITHIUM COMPOUNDS; LITHIUM SILICATES; TRITIUM; BREEDING; BREEDING BLANKETS; HELIUM; IMPURITIES; ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS; ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS; BARYON REACTIONS; BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; CHALCOGENIDES; CRYOGENIC FLUIDS; ELEMENTS; FLUIDS; HADRON REACTIONS; HYDROGEN ISOTOPES; ISOTOPES; LIGHT NUCLEI; NONMETALS; NUCLEAR FUEL CONVERSION; NUCLEAR REACTIONS; NUCLEI; NUCLEON REACTIONS; ODD-EVEN NUCLEI; OXIDES; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; RADIOISOTOPES; RARE GASES; REACTOR COMPONENTS; SILICATES; SILICON COMPOUNDS; YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES; 700201* - Fusion Power Plant Technology- Blanket Engineering

Citation Formats

Johnson, Jr, A B. Tritium release from lithium silicate and lithium aluminate, in-reactor and out-of-reactor. United States: N. p., 1976. Web. doi:10.2172/7329492.
Johnson, Jr, A B. Tritium release from lithium silicate and lithium aluminate, in-reactor and out-of-reactor. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/7329492
Johnson, Jr, A B. 1976. "Tritium release from lithium silicate and lithium aluminate, in-reactor and out-of-reactor". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/7329492. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/7329492.
@article{osti_7329492,
title = {Tritium release from lithium silicate and lithium aluminate, in-reactor and out-of-reactor},
author = {Johnson, Jr, A B},
abstractNote = {Studies were conducted to determine the generation and evolution of tritium and helium in lithium aluminate (LiAlO/sub 2/) and lithium silicate (Li/sub 2/SiO/sub 3/) by the reaction: Li/sup 6/ + n ..-->.. /sup 4/He + T. Targets were irradiated 4.4 days in the K-West Reactor snout facility. (Silicate GVR* approximately 2.0 cc/cc; aluminate GVR approximately 1.4 cc/cc.) Gas release in-reactor was determined by post-irradiation drilling experiments on aluminum ampoules containing silicate and aluminate targets. In-reactor tritium release (at approximately 100/sup 0/C) was found to decrease linearly with increasing target density. Tritium released in-reactor was primarily in the noncondensible form (HT and T/sub 2/), while in laboratory extractions (300-1300/sup 0/C), the tritium appeared primarily in the condensible form (HTO and T/sub 2/O). Concentrations of HT (and presumably HTO) were relatively high, indicating moisture pickup in canning operations or by inleakage of moisture after the capsule was welded. Impurities in extracted gases included H/sub 2/O, CO/sub 2/, CO, O/sub 2/, H/sub 2/, NO, SO/sub 2/, SiF/sub 4/ and traces of hydrocarbons.},
doi = {10.2172/7329492},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/7329492}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1976},
month = {Wed Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1976}
}