Performance of a Depleted Uranium Bed for a Nuclear Fusion Fuel Cycle

Abstract

The Tritium Storage & Delivery System (SDS) is part of a tokamak-type nuclear fusion reactor fuel cycle. For the safety of this cycle, the hydrogen isotopes are stored in a metal hydride form in the SDS. Depleted uranium (DU) was chosen as the storage material. DU hydride can be heated to very high temperatures that are sufficient for pumping hydrogen isotopes without using gas pumps. The experimental apparatus used to test the experimental DU bed consists of a tank that stores and measures the hydrogen, and a DU bed used for the hydriding and dehydriding of hydrogen. The DU bed is a vertical double-cylinder type with sintered metal filters. The bed is composed of primary and secondary vessels. The primary vessel contains DU, and a vacuum layer is formed between the primary and secondary vessels. In this study, recent experimental results on the pretreatment (activation and powderization) of DU and the direct hydrogen recovery and delivery of a DU bed are presented. In addition, the relationship between hydrogen pressure and temperature in the DU bed is obtained.

Keywords:

• Nuclear fusion fuel cycle
• tritium storage and delivery system
• depleted uranium

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Fusion Research Institute and the National R&D Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), which is funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning (2009-0070685). The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the ITER Organization. ITER is a Nuclear Facility INB-174.

Notes

^a 1 Torr = 1 mmHg = 133.3 Pa.