BEATRIX-II, phase II [electronic resource] : Data summary report

Published: Washington, D.C. : United States. Dept. of Energy, 1996.
Oak Ridge, Tenn. : Distributed by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, U.S. Dept. of Energy.
Physical Description: 132 pages : digital, PDF file
Additional Creators: Pacific Northwest Laboratory, United States. Department of Energy, and United States. Department of Energy. Office of Scientific and Technical Information

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Summary

The BEATRIX-II experimental program was an International Energy Agency sponsored collaborative effort between Japan, Canada, and the United States to evaluate the performance of ceramic solid breeder materials in a fast-neutron environment at high burnup levels. This report addresses the Phase II activities, which included two in situ tritium-recovery canisters: temperature-change and temperature-gradient. The temperature-change canister contained a Li₂O ring specimen that had a nearly uniform temperature profile and was capable of temperature changes between 530 and 640°C. The temperature-gradient canister contained a Li₂ZrO₃ pebble bed operating under a thermal gradient of 440 to 1100°C. Postirradiation examination was carried out to characterize the Phase II in situ specimens and a series of nonvented capsules designed to address the compatibility of beryllium with lithium-ceramic solid-breeder materials. The results of the BEATRIX-II, Phase II, irradiation experiment provided an extensive data base on the in situ tritium-release characteristics of Li₂O and Li₂ZrO₃ for lithium burnups near 5%. The composition of the sweep gas was found to be a critical parameter in the recovery of tritium from both Li₂O and Li₂ZrO₃. Tritium inventories measured confirmed that Li₂O and Li₂ZrO₃ exhibited very low tritium retention during the Phase II irradiation. Tritium inventories in Li₂ZrO₃ after Phase II tended to be larger than those found for Li₂ZrO₃ in other in situ experiments, but the larger values may reflect the larger generation rates in BEATRIX-II. A series of 20 capsules was irradiated to determine the compatibility of lithium ceramics and beryllium under conditions similar to a fusion blanket. It is concluded that Li₂O and Li₂ZrO₃ should remain leading candidates for use in a solid-breeder fusion-blanket application.

Report Numbers

E 1.99:pnnl--11148
pnnl--11148

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Note

Published through SciTech Connect.
05/01/1996.
"pnnl--11148"
"DE96011596"
Hollenberg, G.W.; Slagle, O.D.

Funding Information

AC06-76RL01830

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