Development of major components for the ITER tritium plant

The Tritium Laboratory Karlsruhe (TLK) is developing major components and processes for the ITER tritium plant. The systems being examined are for pumping, storage, analytics and waste treatment. A full sized, fast delivery getter storage bed with an in-built accountancy system is being tested. In-situ methods to detritiate and deactivate getter beds for safe disposal are being pursued and are reported here. A water detritiation system based on a combined electrolysis catalytic exchange process is under development which uses a solid state electrolyser and a catalyst column with water vapour and hydrogen streams in counter current mode. A permeator/catalyst (PERMCAT) device is being tested both at TLK and JET for the reduction of tritium in waste gases to below 1 Ci/m³. To pump gases at high speeds a tritium-compatible Root pumps is being tested which uses ferro-fluidic seals on the drive shafts. The ferro-fluidic seals have been tested satisfactorily and these have been incorporated into a Roots pump of 250 m³/hr pumping capacity. Micro gas chromatography is being developed for the analysis of gas mixtures for process control and accountancy. A 20 litre vacuum calorimeter with a limit of detection of approximately 6 GBq tritium has been constructed and commissioned.