Deuterium Ingress at the Rolled Joints in CANDU Reactors: Where Does it Comefrom and How Can It be Reduced? (original) (raw)

Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science

Abstract

Simple, small-scale, experiments demonstrate the high deuterium concentrations found in the zirconium pressure tubes at CANDU rolled joints comes from the initial as-received protium in stainless-steel end fittings exchanging with deuterium before being gettered by the zirconium. We propose to reduce the concentration of hydrogen isotopes at the ends of pressure tubes in heavy-water nuclear reactors with yttrium getters placed in the outer regions of the stainless-steel end fittings away from the heat-transport heavy water. Simple, small-scale, experiments demonstrate the operating principle showing that yttrium can getter hydrogen isotopes from the zirconium through the stainless steel.

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