Stability of titanium beryllide under water vapor

Abstract

Titanium beryllides such as Be 12Ti are considered to be promising alternatives to beryllium as the neutron multiplier. Thus, the authors investigated the reactivity of Be 12Ti with water vapor. In the experiments, the Be 12Ti sample was exposed to a gas containing water vapor of 10 000 ppm at temperatures as high as 1000 °C. Chaotic breakaway reactions were not observed for the Be 12Ti sample, and the amount of hydrogen generated was found to be far smaller in comparison with beryllium. Thus, it can be said that Be 12Ti is less reactive with water vapor, which is a great merit for the neutron multiplier.