New Approach to Tritium Leak Rate Determination

A method for determining leak rates (on the order of 1 × 10-17 cm3/sec and higher) from containers of tritium waste is described. Each container is sealed in a disposable can. After several days, the accumulated tritium is flushed from the can with compressed air through an ethylene-glycol bubbler where the HTO, but not the HT, is trapped. The output of the bubbler is channeled through a heated palladium catalyst where the HT is oxidized. The oxidized HT is collected in a second ethylene-glycol bubbler. The tritium collected in both bubblers is measured by liquid scintillation counting.