PNNL

Abstract

Tungsten irradiated in spallation neutron sources such as those proposed for the Accelerator Production of Tritium (APT) project, or in proposed fusion reactors, will contain large quantities of generated helium and hydrogen gas. In the APT, spallation neutrons would be generated by the interaction of high energy (~1 GeV) protons with solid tungsten rods or cylinders. In fusion reactors, tungsten used in a tokamak diverter will contain hydrogen, as well as deuterium and tritium diffusing in from the plasma-facing surface. The release kinetics of these gases during various off-normal scenarios involving loss of coolant and afterheat-induced rises in temperature is of particular interest for both applications. To determine the release kinetics of hydrogen from tungsten, tungsten rods irradiated with 800 MeV protons in the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANCE) to high exposures as part of the APT project have been examined. Hydrogen evolution from the tungsten was measured using a dedicated mass spectrometer system by subjecting the specimens to an essentially linear temperature ramp from ~323 K to ~1473 K. Release profiles are compared with predictions obtained using the Tritium Migration Analysis Program (TMAP4). Input parameters for the modeling, consisting of diffusivity, recombination rate coefficient, and trapping, are discussed. The measurements show that for high proton doses, the majority of the hydrogen is released gradually, starting at about 900 K and reaching a maximum at about 1400 K, where it drops fairly rapidly. Comparisons with TMAP show reasonable agreement at high proton dose using a trap value of 1.4 eV and a trap density of 3%. There is also a small release fraction occurring at ~600 K which predominates at lower proton doses, and which is relatively independent of dose. This lower-temperature release is predicted by TMAP if no traps are assumed, suggesting that this release may represent an adsorbed surface component.