Speaker
Description
Heavy water and lithium containing molten salt moderated commercial fission energy generating reactors produce tritium in significant quantities. Tritium, the radioactive isotope of hydrogen, needs to be removed from the moderator to reduce worker exposure, environmental release and maintain energy conversion efficiency.
Future commercial fusion power plants will operate using Deuterium & Tritium as a fuel while breeding tritium from lithium to refuel the system. The scale of tritium handling has never been performed or demonstrated.
Tritiated water can be generated in situ to a reactor like the CANDU heavy water moderated reactor case, but also through atmospheric recovery from any system that handles tritium. A common method of high flowrate sequestration of tritium is via oxidation and capture on desiccants, or in liquid water scrubbers.
The presentation will outline the possible production pathways of tritiated water in different systems. The kinetic process of tritiated water self-radiolysis and its impact on tritiated water handling systems and long-term storage. A summary of CNL’s work on the storage and handling will be presented concluding with recommendations and guiding philosophies on tritiated water handling and storage.