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Fusion energy: Progress, partnerships, and the path to deployment
Over the past decade, fusion energy has moved decisively from scientific aspiration toward a credible pathway to a new energy technology. Thanks to long-term federal support, we have significantly advanced our fundamental understanding of plasma physics—the behavior of the superheated gases at the heart of fusion devices. This knowledge will enable the creation and control of fusion fuel under conditions required for future power plants. Our progress is exemplified by breakthroughs at the National Ignition Facility and the Joint European Torus.
R.A. Surette, R.G.C. McElroy
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 14 | Number 2 | September 1988 | Pages 1141-1146
Tritium Safety | doi.org/10.13182/FST88-1
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This presentation describes some experiments to investigate the removal, regrowth and evolution of tritium from stainless steel planchets that had been exposed to elemental tritium. The total tritium sorbed onto and into a planchet was measured by heating the planchet and collecting the evolved tritium. The removable surface activity was determined from swipe measurements. The evolution of tritium from the planchets was determined by leaving some of the planchets exposed to air for almost one year and then measuring the tritium remaining. The swipe experiments indicate that a removal efficiency of 10% is representative but usually conservative for an undisturbed surface. In general, the fraction of activity that is removable is dependent on the surface history. If a cleaned surface is left undisturbed for a few days removable surface activity may regrow. If the surface is left undisturbed for a long period of time (months) some of the tritium in the planchet will be lost to the atmosphere.