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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.
I. Popescu, Gh. Ionita, I. Stefanescu, A. Kitamoto
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 48 | Number 1 | July-August 2005 | Pages 108-111
Technical Paper | Tritium Science and Technology - Tritium Science and Technology - Detritiation, Purification, and Isotope Separation | doi.org/10.13182/FST05-41
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The hydrophobic catalysts were originally conceived in Canada for the deuterium enrichment and tritium separation by hydrogen-liquid water isotopic exchange in nuclear field. Unlike the conventional hydrophilic catalysts, which becomes inefficient to direct contact with liquid water, the hydrophobic catalysts kept a high catalytic activity and stability, even under the direct contact with liquid water or in presence of humid gas. Based on the long experience of the authors, in the preparation, testing and evaluation of the performances of hydrophobic catalysts, and based on the reviewed references, this paper presents up-to-date R&D activities on the preparation methods and applications of the hydrophobic catalysts, in tritium separation. The objectives of the paper are: (1) to provide a database for selection of the most appropriate catalyst and catalytic packing for above mentioned processes (2) to asses and to find a new procedure for preparation of a new improved hydrophobic catalyst. From reviewed references we consider that platinum remains the most active and efficient catalytic metal and the TEFLON is the best wetproofing agent. A new improved hydrophobic Pt-catalyst has been proposed and is now underway. The main steps and experimental conditions of preparation are largely discussed. A new wet-proofing agent and a new binding agents (titanium oxide, cerium oxide, zirconium oxide) with catalytic role are proposed and tested. The physico-structural parameters of new improved catalyst have been determined and are discussed in details. The new proposal is a promising idea to improve the performances of conventional hydrophobic Pt-catalysts.