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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.
L. K. Heung, G. C. Staack
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 48 | Number 1 | July-August 2005 | Pages 585-588
Technical Paper | Tritium Science and Technology - Materials Interaction and Permeation | doi.org/10.13182/FST05-A993
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The use of catalysts to improve the exchange kinetics between hydrogen isotopes in the gas phase and that in the solid phase was investigated. Granules of alumina, silica and molecular sieve were coated with platinum as the catalyst. The granules saturated with water at room humidity were packed in a 2-cm diameter column for isotope exchange tests. Deuterium and protium were alternately fed through the column at a constant rate. Isotope concentration in column effluent was monitored to generate isotope break-through curves. The curves were analyzed to produce information on the kinetics and capacity of the material. The results showed that all materials tested provided some extent of isotope exchange but some were superior both in kinetics and capacity. This paper will present the test results.