Applicability of chemical getter beds to scavenge tritium from inert gases

Chemical getters can be used to scavenge tritium from inert gases. Cerium, which forms a hydride with a low dissociation pressure, has high reactivity, and is relatively inexpensive, is a good candidate getter material for such a scavenger system. Mathematical models for using cerium in both fixed- and fluidized-bed reactors predict satisfactory performance. Moreover, the capital cost of a gettering system, estimated to be between $115,000 and $166,000 (m3/s) flow, is competitive with that of the conventional catalytic-oxidation molecular-sieve system ($330,000/m3/s) now used. The gettering concept, therefore, warrants further investigation. This report assesses the feasibility of such a system