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Going Nuclear: Notes from the officially unofficial book tour
I work in the analytical labs at one of Europe’s oldest and largest nuclear sites: Sellafield, in northwestern England. I spend my days at the fume hood front, pipette in one hand and radiation probe in the other (and dosimeter pinned to my chest, of course). Outside the lab, I have a second job: I moonlight as a writer and public speaker. My new popular science book—Going Nuclear: How the Atom Will Save the World—came out last summer, and it feels like my life has been running at full power ever since.
Hongsuk Chung, Yeanjin Kim, Kwangjin Jung, Seungwoo Paek, Hee-Seok Kang, Ki Hyun Kim, Woojung Shon, Sung Paal Yim, Hyun-Goo Kang, Min Ho Chang, Sei-Hun Yun, Ki Jung Jung, Ki Hwan Kim, Do-Hee Ahn
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 71 | Number 4 | May 2017 | Pages 622-627
Technical Note | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2017.1291189
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Korea is operating 24 nuclear power plants and a highly advanced neutron application reactor HANARO (High-flux Advanced Neutron Application Reactor). In addition, Korea is designing a tritium storage and delivery system (SDS) for ITER. We have been developing detritiation and tritium storage technologies since the operation of Wolsong CANDU (Canada Deuterium-Uranium) station in 1983. The Wolsong Tritium Removal System (TRF) was designed to remove tritium generated in heavy water of the moderator and heat transport. Catalysts transfer tritium from the tritiated heavy water to gaseous tritiated deuterium. The hydrogen isotopes, including tritium, are transported to a cryogenic distillation system where the tritium is removed for safe storage. Conventional high-pressure storage tanks can be dangerous for the storage of radioactive tritium gas. We have been studying various kinds of metal hydride, such as titanium, zirconium cobalt, and depleted uranium. Titanium was proven to store tritium safely and efficiently for a long period of time. Zirconium cobalt, meanwhile, incorporates tritium safely and compactly, and temporarily holds large quantities that can be recovered easily under safe, controlled conditions. However owing to the disproportionation characteristics of zirconium cobalt, we are now developing depleted uranium hydride safe handling technologies. In this technical note, we present the details of the recent development progress of these tritium systems.