04/02/02

Los Alamos has a long history of interest in tritium science and technology.  This interest took on a fusion energy focus in 1977 when Los Alamos was chosen as the site for the Tritium Systems Test Assembly.  While TSTA is now being shutdown, Los Alamos continues to have a strong interest and participation in tritium technology.  Present activities include tritium surface monitor development, collaboration with the Joint European Torus on tritium processing systems, general characterization of tritiated surfaces, and providing expertise to the fusion community in activities such as the 2002 Snowmass Summer Study.  Using the separations experience learned from TSTA, a new effort has begun to develop techniques for separating materials expected to exist from an inertial fusion reactor.  Further extensions of the TSTA experience have begun.  Starting with the Palladium Membrane Reactor developed at TSTA to recover tritium from water and methane, a new Advanced Membrane Reactor project has begun with the goal of supplying hydrogen for hydrogen economy applications.

Tritium Surface Monitor Development