Solubility of hydrogen isotopes in lithium

The individual solubilities of hydrogen, deuterium, and tritium in lithium have been measured as a function of temperature (700 to 10000C) and pressure (0.1 to 760 torr). The individual solubilities decrease with increasing temperature, and, for the same hydrogen isotope concentration in the molten lithium, the equilibrium gas pressures for the isotopes are of the order P/sub T2/ greater than P/sub D2/ greater than P/sub H2/. When the mole fraction of LiH, LiD, or LiT is less than about 0.1, the temperature dependence of the individual solubilities can be expressed as ln(N-1/sub LiH/ P/sup 1/2//sub H2/) = 9.842 -- 6242/T(0K), ln(N-1/sub LiD/ P/sup 1/2//sub D2/) = 9.515 -- 5644/T(0K), and ln(N-1/sub LiT/ P/sup 1/2//sub T2/) = 9.226 -- 5085/T(0K). In these equations, N is the mole fraction in the liquid phase, P is the equilibrium pressure of the gaseous hydrogen isotope (torr), and T is temperature (0K). The mutual solubilities of hydrogen and deuterium in lithium were measured for the plateau region at 8000C. Both the total pressure and the individual partial pressures of H2, HD, and D2 have been determined as a function of the mole fraction of LiH and LiD in the lithium solution with varying hydrogen-to-deuterium ratios. The total pressure and the partial pressures of hydrogen and deuterium in the plateau region at 8000C may be expressed as P/sup 1/2//sub total/ (torr) = -3 N/sub LiH//(N/sub LiH + N/sub LiD/) + 15.9, P1/2/sub H2/ (torr) = 12.9 N/sub LiH//(N/sub LiH/ + N/sub LiD/), and P/sub D2//sup 1/2/ (torr) = 15.9 N/sub LiD//