Process and system for removing tritium
OwnerJohn N. Ridgelyinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process and system for removing tritium, particularly from high temperature gas cooled atomic reactors (HTGR), is disclosed. Portions of the reactor coolant, which is permeated with the pervasive tritium atom, are processed to remove the tritium. Under conditions of elevated temperature and pressure, the reactor coolant is combined with gaseous oxygen, resulting in the formation of tritiated water vapor from the tritium in the reactor coolant and the gaseous oxygen. The tritiated water vapor and the remaining gaseous oxygen are then successively removed by fractional liquefaction steps. The reactor coolant is then re-circulated to the reactor.
Claims14
A process for the removal of tritium from a system containing an inert-to-oxygen circulating fluid which becomes tritiated comprising the steps of:
- forming tritiated water vapor by combining with the tritiated circulating fluid gaseous oxygen under pressure and at a temperature sufficient to initiate and sustain a water vapor formation reaction between tritium in the circulating fluid and the gaseous oxygen;
- and then removing the tritiated water vapor from the circulating fluid-gaseous oxygen mixture, and the system, by fractional liquefaction.
A process for the removal of radioactive tritium from a high temperature gas-cooled atomic reactor system containing an inert-to-oxygen circulating coolant gas which becomes tritiated comprising the steps of:
- removing temporarily from the tritiated circulating coolant gas a portion thereof;
- mixing with the removed tritiated coolant gas gaseous oxygen at a pressure and at a temperature sufficient to initiate and sustain tritiated water vapor formation from tritium in the removed tritiated coolant gas and the gaseous oxygen;
- cooling the mixture of coolant gas, gaseous oxygen, and tritiated water vapor to a temperature sufficient to liquefy only the tritiated water vapor;
- separating the liquefied tritiated water vapor from the coolant gas and gaseous oxygen;
- removing the liquefied tritiated water vapor from the high temperature gas-cooled atomic reactor system;
- cooling the remaining coolant gas and gaseous oxygen mixture further to a temperature sufficient to liquefy only the gaseous oxygen;
- separating the liquefied oxygen from the coolant gas;
- and then
- returning the coolant gas to the high temperature gas-cooled atomic reactor system to be re-circulated.
A system for the removal of radioactive tritium from a high temperature gas-cooled atomic reactor containing an inert-to-oxygen circulating coolant gas which becomes tritiated, comprising:
- a water vapor formation section, in which a temporarily removed portion of the tritiated coolant gas is combined with gaseous oxygen under elevated temperature and pressure sufficient to initiate and sustain a formation of tritiated water vapor from the tritium in the removed tritiated coolant gas and the gaseous oxygen;
- a tritiated water vapor removal section, in which after its formation the tritiated water vapor is removed from the coolant gas-gaseous oxygen-tritiated water vapor mixture by cooling this mixture to a temperature sufficient to liquefy, and thereby separate and remove, only the tritiated water vapor;
- and
- an oxygen removal section in which the coolant gas-gaseous oxygen mixture remaining after the removal of the tritiated liquefied water vapor, is cooled further to a temperature sufficient to liquefy only the gaseous oxygen, which is then separated and removed from the coolant gas, the coolant gas then being returned to the high temperature gas-cooled atomic reactor to be re-circulated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.