Electrochemical hydrogen detection in DONES loop materials

The radiation-induced degradation of materials in fusion systems is planned to be investigated in IFMIF-DONES (International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility - DEMO Oriented NEutron Source), where fast neutrons are produced by a reaction of deuteron-beams with a liquid lithium target. A by-product as critical impurity is hydrogen, which might affect the reliable and safe operation of the IFMIF-DONES loops. Therefore, an important issue is the measurement and control of the hydrogen impurity concentrations in liquid lithium.

Initially, a practically applicable direct measurement of hydrogen concentrations in lithium facilities did not exist. However, one promising approach to manage this issue is based on the electrochemistry of the DONES materials The developed Electro-Chemical Hydrogen Sensor for Liquid Lithium (ECHSLL) allows the measurement of the electromotive Force (EMF) between a reference materials system and the loop lithium melt, and thus the monitoring of the hydrogen impurity concentrations.

This article will show backgrounds of non-metallic impurities in liquid metal materials and the specific material stabilities within DONES. ... mehrLiquid lithium is a very reactive material. Therefore critical issuesareviable materials compatibilities, the interactions with hydrogen and the transport behaviour of H-ions in electrolytes at the applied temperatures. Further issues are also the syntheses of the electrochemical materials, as hydrogen conducting electrolytes, reference electrode systems and the different procedures (heat treatments and conditioning steps). The tests showed the functionality of the developed H-sensor. Beyond that, the used material combinations exhibited reliable behaviour in melts under harsh conditions. Hence, the most critical aspect (stability of the sensor materials in the Li-melt) has been resolved by using niobium sensor heads. The observed experimental EMF potentials are in good accordance compared with calculated models, also in long-time experiments.