Design, operation, and application of the LLNL Portable Tritium Processing System

A Portable Tritium Processing System (PTPS) has been developed at LLNL that could be applied to fusion energy related tritium processing and decontamination operations. The PTPS has four basic capabilities. These are: oil-free pumping, oil-free gas transfer, gas analysis, and gas phase tritium scrubbing. The design of the PTPS takes into consideration today's stringent release requirements, and utilizes secondary containment throughout the system. Because the system is portable, it can provide complete stand alone tritium processing, and can pass through a typical 36 inch laboratory door, and into confined spaces. This system can easily be moved to different locations within a facility such that the single tritium processing system can provide close-coupled support to multiple operations. Typical setup time for the PTPS is approximately two weeks. The PTPS has been in operation at LLNL for approximately one year. During this time, gram quantities of tritium have been successfully processed through the system. Releases to the stack attributable directly to the PTPS have been less than 0.1 curies, with most of this quantity being a product of maintenance operations