The diffusion of tritium from irradiated beryllium oxide powders

Abstract

The release of tritium from irradiated beryllium oxide powders has been studied by the method of post-irradiation anneal. Over the temperature range 400–660° C, the release is a diffusion controlled process with an activation energy of 24 kcal. The diffusion coefficient of tritium in the two powders studied is given by D UOX = 6.6 × 10 −13 exp − 24 500 RT D MINOX = 7.6 × 10 −13 exp − 24 000 RT . The precautions necessary to obtain reliable results are described.