Tritium Manual

The Tritium Manual addresses all subjects pertaining to tritium and in depth those of relevance to its application as fuel for fusion devices like ITER. It covers handling of tritium in primary containments installed in confinements placed in a strictly controlled area. Hence, spreading of tritium into the environment is prevented by three barriers.
Basic design requirements and guidelines for the erection of a tritium handling laboratory and the equipment therein are provided. Tritium retention systems uninterruptedly decontaminating the atmosphere of confinements are discussed. Recommendations for the selection of materials intended for the manufacture of primary containments and equipment are provided. Issues in safety philosophy are way of conduct in controlled areas, rules regulating work, technical delivery and acceptance terms, manufacturing codes, tritium monitoring, interlocks and automated control systems, licenses, etc. Attention is given to the chemical, physical and radiochemical properties of tritiated isotopologues of hydrogen, of water and of diverse hydrocarbons of relatedness to the fusion fuel cycle. Ample data on diffusion, solubility and permeability of hydrogen isotopologues for a variety of fusion-relevant metals, organic compounds, polymers and rubbers of known or potential application in the fuel cycle are given. ... mehr
Numerous analytical methods for the chemical and isotopic analysis of radioactive tritiated gases, liquids and solids are described and evaluated, also in view of tritium accountancy. Basic operations such as evacuation, gas recirculation, tritium transfer, electrolysis, cryogenic isotope separation, displacement gas chromatography, thermal diffusion, water detritiation, atmosphere detritiation, permeators used for purification or separation of tritium from other gases, auspicious plasma exhaust process concepts for the fusion fuel cycle, storage of gaseous, liquid and solid tritiated species, are presented. The vast body of experience on storage and handling of tritium as metal tritide is compared and summarized. Waste issues comprising decontamination procedures, regeneration of molecular sieve procedures, waste conditioning, waste sentencing, waste packaging, national and international waste transport and waste disposal are examined. Tritium breeding and extraction procedures from a breeder blanket are dealt with.