Method to extract tritium from irradiated boiling water reactor control rod blades

A method for extracting tritium from irradiated boiling water reactor control rod having cruciform shaped blades that have been removed from service, the control rod blades having an elongated dimension along the axial length thereof, a clad exterior and an interior chamber housing a neutron absorbing material, the method comprising the steps of:

• connecting a conduit to the interior of the clad exterior in a substantially closed loop from an inlet penetration through the clad exterior substantially at a first end along the elongated dimension of the clad exterior to an outlet penetration through the clad exterior substantially at a second end along the elongated dimension of the clad exterior;
• transporting carrier fluid into the inlet and out the outlet and through the conduit;
• and
• passing the carrier fluid from the outlet through a tritium getter filter before returning the carrier fluid to the inlet.