Modeling and Adsorption Tests for an Atmospheric Detritiation Dryer

The recovery of tritium from waste gas stream is important with respect to reduction of tritium emission to environment. The fusion research facility and power plant will require large atmospheric detritiation system to mitigate tritium releases and to recover heavy water vapor. The best available technology for these systems is the oxidized-and-adsorb process, where tritiated species are converted to tritium oxide (HTO) and adsorbed on an atmospheric detritiation dryer. Conventional atmospheric detritiation dryers use synthetic zeolites as the adsorbent and rely on a thermal swing cycle. This permits continuous detritiation of a gas by using multiple desiccant beds, each beds being regenerated following a periods of moisture removal (adsorption). In designing a fixed bed dryer and preparing an advanced dryer control, it is necessary to quantify the bed utilization and dynamic behavior against inlet humidity and flow rate. This study is aimed at obtaining an insight into the breakthrough behavior in small column experiments and dynamic modeling for the operating performance of the atmospheric detritiation dryer