Investigation of hydrogen isotopes interaction processes with lithium under neutron irradiation

Abstract

The paper describes the experiments on study of helium and tritium generation and release processes from lithium saturated with deuterium under neutron irradiation (in temperature range from 473 to 773K). The diagrams of two reactor experiments show the time dependences of helium, DT, T2, and tritium water partial pressures changes in experimental chamber with investigated lithium sample. According to experimental results, the values of relative tritium and helium yield from lithium sample at different levels of neutron irradiation were calculated. The time dependences of relative tritium and helium yield from lithium sample were plotted.It was concluded that the main affecting process on tritium release from lithium is its interaction with lithium atoms with formation of lithium tritide.