Tritium in the DIII-D carbon tiles

The amount of tritium in the carbon tiles used as a first wall in the DIII-D tokamak was measured recently when the tiles were removed and cleaned. The measurements were made as part of the task of developing the appropriate safety procedures for processing of the tiles. The surface tritium concentration on the carbon tiles was surveyed and the total tritium released from tiles samples was measured in test bakes. The total tritium in all the carbon tiles at the time the tiles were removed for cleaning is estimated to be 15 mCi and the fraction of tritium retained in the tiles from DIII-D operations has a lower bound of 10%. The tritium was found to be concentrated in a narrow surface layer on the plasma facing side of the tile, was fully released when baked to 1000°C, and was released in the form of tritiated gas (DT) as opposed to tritiated water (DTO) when baked.     

Tritium diffusion through oxide surface films on niobium

Diffusion of tritium in niobium has been investigated using recoil implantation with particular emphasis on the role of surface oxide films. In conformity with previously reported data, bulk diffusion in niobium is found to be extremely rapid and surface oxide films significantly retard the release rate of tritium. The observed tritium release data indicate diffusion through cracks or defects in the oxide film below 500°C and transport through an intact film at temperatures higher than 500°C. The release rates are described in terms of a mathematical model with the necessary model parameters determined from experimental data. The oxide films could be removed with a reducing hydrogen atmosphere, thereby resulting in classical bulk diffusion controlled release above 700°C. Below 700°C the oxide layers were stable in hydrogen, presumably because of a moderately high oxygen potential resulting from minute amounts of moisture in the sample chamber.     

氚化学与氚分析进展与展望

氚是聚变堆的重要燃料,氚的问题是制约聚变能源发展的瓶颈问题之一。氚化学中的科学技术问题是解决涉氚工艺的基础,氚分析测量是氚操作中获取氚信息的主要途径。本文综述了近年来氚化学与氚分析方面的研究进展,从氚与材料相互作用、涉氚材料中的氦行为、氚的氢同位素效应、氚的辐射生物效应,以及氚的分析测量方法五个方面对研究进展进行了分析,并对聚变堆中所面临的挑战进行了展望。     

量热法测量贮氚容器中的氚

设计建造了 1台样品池容积为1 95mm× 42 0mm的大型氚量热计。该量热计测量样品热功率下限为 6mW。样品热功率在 1 60～ 3 5 0 0mW范围内时 ,信号输出与样品热功率的线性相关系数大于0 9999。当样品热功率不低于 1 60mW时 ,精密度好于 0 2 %。它适用于非对称置样方式的样品中氚的测量。对大容积铀化学床中氚的实测结果表明 :该量热计具有较好的准确性。     

Tritium depth profiles in graphite and carbon fibre composite material exposed to tokamak plasmas

Tritium inventories in the plasma-facing surface and the bulk of tiles were investigated with a highly sensitive, accurate full-combustion technique and a PIN-diode method. Examined were (i) a tokamak fusion test reactor (TFTR) graphite tile (D–D plasmas), (ii) a JET graphite tile (low-tritium D–T plasmas), and (iii) several JET carbon fibre composite (CFC) divertor tiles as well as a graphite limiter tile (all high-tritium D–T plasmas). Whilst the bulk tritium concentration in graphite tiles appears to remain at very low levels (about 0.3% of the total tritium) the tritium bulk concentrations in CFC divertor tiles can be as high as three times that in the surface layer. The latter is attributed to plasma-induced trapping of tritium between the fibre planes of CFC in the hot divertor zone. In addition to carbon/hydrogen co-deposition, this contribution constitutes another important source of tritium inventory in the torus that so far had not been recognised.     

Deuterium retention and release in tungsten co-deposited layers

A systematic study of the influence of the deposition conditions on the deuterium retention in co-deposited tungsten layers formed both by magnetron sputtering and in the PISCES-B linear device has been carried out. Experimental parameters such as the tungsten deposition rate, the incident particle energy and the substrate temperature are shown to affect the level of deuterium retention in the layers. A decreased retention for increased substrate temperature and deposition rates, and an increased retention for increasing incident deuterium particle energy are observed. A scaling equation is proposed to describe the influence of the conditions during the co-deposition process (surface temperature, incident particle energy and deposition flux) on the deuterium retention. In addition, the desorption kinetics of deuterium has been studied by TDS. Two desorption stages at 473-573 K and at 1073 K have been observed.     

离线产氚实验中氚在线监测系统的研制

在增殖剂离线产氚实验中,如何准确实时测量回路中氚浓度和形态（HTO/HT）对于掌握产氚增殖剂氚释放行为,改进增殖剂的产氚性能非常重要。针对离线产氚回路中载气流量小、回路中气体量小以及载气为Ar等特点,基于流气式电离室原理研制了一套数字化氚浓度在线测量系统。该系统中电离室灵敏体积为50 mL,数字化仪表可自控获取、处理及显示回路中的氚浓度。测试结果表明,在Ar气氛下,在35 V左右,电离室即进入饱和区;该系统探测下限可达3.7×10 7 Bq/m 3,能满足离线产氚实验中氚在线监测的要求。     

核设施氚气态释放后植物中有机氚的研究进展

从核设施释放到大气中的氚主要以氚化水（HTO）和氚化氢（HT）两种形式存在,最终以HTO的形式进入植物体。植物体中的氚有两种化学形态：自由水氚（TFWT）和有机氚（OBT）,其中OBT又被细分为交换性OBT和非交换性OBT。与TFWT相比,OBT在植物体内有较长的滞留时间和较大的剂量转换因子,在氚的食入剂量中OBT占主要份额,因此有必要对植物中的OBT展开全面研究。本文就植物中OBT的定义、交换性OBT和非交换性OBT的确定、OBT的形成过程及其影响因子、OBT预测模型的研究进行综述,同时对今后植物中OBT应重点研究的内容进行了简单分析,以期为植物中OBT的研究提供一定的参考。为准确评价OBT造成的辐射剂量,今后对OBT的研究中应着重从测量、夜间形成机理和环境中的行为等方面进行。     

高压氘氚气氛下铜对氚的吸附

为了解氚在铜表面的吸附和解吸行为,对铜样品在n（D）∶n（T）=1∶1,503 K时,15 MPa下恒温8 h后,再在27 MPa恒温6 h下进行了氚的吸附,并对吸附氚的铜样品在室温下和加热到1 173 K时的解吸氚量和吸附总氚量进行了测量。结果表明,铜的吸附总氚量为31.89 MBq/cm²,解吸氚量为29.18 MBq/cm²,测量的标准差为6.49％;室温和加热条件下铜所释放的氚中,化学成分主要是HTO和HT,大部分以HT形式存在;铜的自由氚量占吸附总氚量的3.64 ％;铜的热解吸谱至少存在3个解吸峰,其解吸温度分别为650,750和1 173 K以上。     

氚污染不锈钢、铜、铝金属干法去污研究

为了考察氚污染金属干法去污的去污效率,对氚污染不锈钢、铜和铝进行了紫外线、臭氧、加热及联合（紫外线、臭氧与加热）去污实验研究。研究结果表明：紫外线单独照射去污效率较差,加热可明显提高去污效率,500 ℃联合172 nm的紫外线去污4 h对不锈钢表面氚去污率可达99.2%;臭氧对铜有较好的去污效率,臭氧与加热（500 ℃）的组合对不锈钢、铝、铜的去污率均高于99.2%;高温（500 ℃）较低温（300 ℃）去污效率高;氚去污后金属放置30 d表面氚有所增加,主要是氚的扩散和渗透所致;氚污染不锈钢存在4种氚吸附态。     

利用伴随α粒子能谱分析固体氚靶中氚浓度深度分布

在目前的氘氚中子发生器源中子分析过程中,固体氚靶中氚浓度深度分布信息的缺失是普遍遇到的问题。为解决此问题,本文建立了利用伴随粒子能谱反演氚浓度深度分布的模型,采用来自氚钛靶的α实验能谱作为模型测试对象,通过该模型获得了氚钛靶中氚浓度深度分布的数据。结果表明,氚浓度随氚钛靶深度的增加呈双峰趋势,两峰之间的氚浓度波谷位于靶中0.94 μm处,该深度正是入射氘粒子的射程极限。所得的氚浓度深度分布趋势与其他实验方法测量结果相符,表明该模型能为氘氚中子发生器的源中子分析提供即时的氚浓度深度分布信息。     

氚靶制备玻璃系统的退役

介绍了某氚靶制备玻璃系统的退役流程及退役过程中氚的辐射防护,估算了退役过程中氚对公众和工作人员的照射剂量,两者的照射剂量均远低于国家标准。     

氘-氚分馏系数法确定氚的电解回收率

天然水中氚含量很低,一般采用电解浓缩-液闪计数法进行测量。电解水样时,氚的电解回收率可由水样的浓缩倍数和氚分馏系数来确定。而电解过程的氚分馏系数和氘分馏系数存在一个近似的关系,即lnβ=ηlnα。采用氚标准水进行电解实验,可得到氚分馏系数,采用光腔衰荡激光同位素法测量电解前后的氘含量可以获得氘的分馏系数。电解条件为低碳钢-镍电极装置,以Na2O2为电解质,电解过程温度为0.5℃。实验得到η为1.27。在电解水样时,可根据lnβ=1.27 lnα可得到氚分馏系数,从而获得本批次每个水样的电解回收率。     

Redeposition of amorphous hydrogenated carbon films during thermal decomposition

Thermally induced decomposition of hard and soft amorphous hydrocarbon films was investigated by thermal effusion spectroscopy. Released species were detected by a sensitive quadrupole mass spectrometer using two different experimental setups for thermal effusion. Species released in a molecular beam setup were detected in direct line of sight to the sample surface, while species released in a remote UHV oven had no direct line of sight to the mass spectrometer. Soft, hydrogen-rich carbon films exhibit a desorption maximum at T ≈ 740 K while hard films with a low hydrogen content have their maximum at T ≈ 870 K. Additionally, the spectrum of released species differs dramatically between hard and soft films. We found a significant redeposition of species released from soft films. From the redeposited fraction of material we estimated an average redeposition probability of about 50% for species released from soft films.     

Erosion of tungsten-doped amorphous carbon films in oxygen plasma

Tungsten-doped amorphous carbon films with 0–9 at.% W concentration were produced by magnetron sputtering and eroded in oxygen plasmas applying different bias voltages and substrate temperatures. The partial C and W erosion rates were determined from the C and W areal density changes measured by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). The initial C removal rate increases with increasing ion energy and temperature and decreases with increasing W concentration. For W-doped films the erosion rate decreases with increasing plasma exposure duration. At low bias voltages the erosion process stops after W accumulation at the surface, which protects the carbon underneath from further erosion. RBS and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggest that the W-rich layer at the surface is carbon free and consists of porous WO₃. Biasing to 200 V leads to removal of W by physical sputtering and, therefore, inhibits the formation of the protecting W oxide layer and the C erosion proceeds.     

Behavior of Tritium in Aluminum-Lithium Alloys

The hehavior of radiation induced gas bubbles in Al-Li alloys was observed by means of ³H autoradiography. The autoradiographs were compared with photomicrographs of the corresponding areas. Autoradiography proved to reveal the gas bubbles in the alloys more distinctly than photomicrography.

It was found that the bubbles first appeared at the grain boundaries and subgrain boundaries, and there also appeared depleted zones along the grain boundaries. This was followed by crystallographic alignment of the bubbles when heated to higher temperatures. In the case of large gas concentrations, bubbles as large as 5 μ in diameter were observed in specimens heated for 1 hr at 500°C. Bubbles precipitated along the boundaries of recrystallized grains in a specimen of irradiated Al-2.7 w/0 Li when it was tension stretched and then heated for 1 hr at 300°C.     

Thermo-oxidation of hard carbon films with tungsten surface impurity

The removal of codeposited tritiated carbon films from the next generation of fusion reactors may involve baking in an O₂ environment. Experimental results have indicated that thermo-oxidation can be effective in the removal of such films, however, wide variations have been observed in the oxidation rates of various types of carbon films. In the current experiments, we have investigated the role of metallic impurities by sputter-depositing tungsten onto hard a-C:D films, and exposing them to O₂ gas at 623 K. It was found that rather than catalysing the oxidation of the hydrogenated carbon film, the W deposit tended to inhibit the film removal at this temperature. This suggests that film structure is the predominant factor determining the oxidation rate of tokamak codeposits.