Multi-criteria analysis of suitable technologies for the tritium removal system in Valcea D-T Pilot Plant

Abstract

A pilot plant for tritium removal from tritiated water is in pre-operational stage at ICSI Ramnicu Valcea and it’s based on catalytic isotopic exchange process (LPCE) between tritiated water and hydrogen/deuterium gas followed by cryogenic distillation (CD), aiming to recover tritium. As any detritiation plant or tritium processing plant/laboratory, the Experimental Pilot Plant for D-T separation (PESTD) from Rm. Valcea requires a tritium removal system (TRS) with the main purpose to recover tritium from purge gases used during maintenance of the technological systems prior to their discharge to environment and during normal operation of the plant. TRS is continuously connected to the tritiated water tanks within the plant for pressure management, similar as for ITER-WDS. In the specific case of the PESTD, TRS was given a secondary active role and that is to operate as follows: the gas inventory within CD could be reduce to water and returned to LPCE system in order to process it.This paper will present a multi-criteria analysis of the available technologies for the purpose of the TRS, together with a general schematic of the process selected and under implementation and some specifications of the equipment that constitute the final concept of the system.