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Playing the “bad guy” to enhance next-generation safety
Sometimes, cops and robbers is more than just a kid’s game. At the Department of Energy’s national laboratories, researchers are channeling their inner saboteurs to discover vulnerabilities in next-generation nuclear reactors, making sure that they’re as safe as possible before they’re even constructed.
K. Nishimura, K. Takatsuka, M. Matsuyama, N. Noda, M. Tanaka
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 60 | Number 4 | November 2011 | Pages 1503-1506
Interaction with Materials | Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Tritium Science and Technology (Part 2) | doi.org/10.13182/FST11-A12717
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Hydrogen isotope retention and its removal in/from a plasma-facing wall and structural materials have been recognized as key issues for fusion reactor from the viewpoints of operational safety and environmental preservation. Baking and/or a glow discharge are possible effective methods to remove hydrogen isotopes from materials. To investigate the absorption and desorption characteristics of hydrogen isotopes in structural materials, a glow discharge apparatus with twin chambers (Glow-1, 2) made with stainless steel was provided. The sample tip can be moved between the Glow-1 chamber and Glow-2 chamber without exposing it to the air. The controlled infrared (IR) heating device was installed in the Glow-1 chamber to heat the sample tip. Results of absorption and desorption by glow discharge, and the thermal desorption by IR heating are analyzed. No oxides of hydrogen isotopes were observed in these experiments. Most gases are retained near the solid surface and are desorbed at a low temperature below 150 °C. The activation energy was estimated to be about 50 kJ/mol.