ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Mar 2026
Jan 2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
April 2026
Nuclear Technology
February 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
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.
A. N. Perevezentsev, A. C. Bell, B. M. Andreev, M. B. Rozenkevich, Yu. S. Pak, A. V. Ovcharov
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 56 | Number 4 | November 2009 | Pages 1455-1461
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST56-1455
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This paper evaluates detritiation of air contaminated with tritium in the form of water vapor using a scrubber column filled with structured packing. This technique is based on isotopic exchange between tritiated water vapor and liquid water. In combination with a catalytic oxidizer operated at room or slightly elevated temperature, the scrubber column can also decontaminate air contaminated with tritiated molecular hydrogen. Mass transfer rates measured for structured packings made of stainless steel and copper alloy confirmed high efficiency of the detritiation process. Study of the effect of various operation parameters on column efficiency allows optimization of column operation. It was demonstrated that this technique is competitive with the drying technique with respect to the decontamination factor (DF) provided and the amount of tritiated water to be generated. Benefits offered by the wet scrubber technology are based on the nature of the isotopic exchange process. No need for regeneration allows reduction in the number of units and as such decreases the capital cost of the facility for continuous operation. The DF can be controlled by changing the flow rate of feedwater.