P1254325928RyzTJ

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Overview of theSafety and Tritium Applied
Research (STAR) Facility
Phil Sharpe Fusion Safety Program Idaho National
Laboratory, USA
HAPL Program Meeting ORNL 21-22 March 2006
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STAR Mission and Research

• Provide laboratory infrastructure to study
  tritium science and technology issues associated
  with the development of safe and environmentally
  friendly fusion energy
• Designated a National User Facility
• Research thrust areas
• Plasma-material interactions of PFC materials
  with energetic tritium and deuterium ions
• Fusion safety chemical reactivity, activation
  product mobilization and dust/debris
  characterization for PFC materials tritium
  behavior in fusion systems (in-vessel source
  term)
• Molten salts and fusion liquids for tritium
  breeder and coolant applications
• Fission reactor tritium production permeation
  issues AGR fuel tritium retention and release
  studies
• Tritium plant and fuel cycle issues for MFE and
  IFE

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15,000 Ci tritium limit Segregation of
operations Gloveboxes and hoods Tritium cleanup
system Once-through room ventilation
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Key systems in STAR
Molten Salt Tritium Behavior Experiment
Tritium Storage and Assay System
Tritium Plasma Experiment and Enclosure
Steam and air chemical reactivity test apparatus
Molten Salt Preparation, Purification, and REDOX
Experiments
Tritium Cleanup System
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Star Tritium Storage and Assay System
Handles reception, distribution, and
accountability of tritium inventory
SAS glovebox Setup
SAS manifold and vacuum pumps
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STAR Tritium Cleanup System (TCS)
Removes tritium in process gases from glovebox
atmospheres and experiment systems.
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Highlights of Recent Accomplishments

• Useable tritium inventory now 1300 Ci

• 300 Ci in equimolar H2D2T2 calibration standard
• 1000 Ci T2 available for experiments
• shipments from SRS limited to 1000 Ci with
  standard TYPE-A shipping container

Shipping Vessel (1 available)
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Highlights of Recent Accomplishments, cont.

• TPE Operations Initiated

• plasma characteristics testing and diagnostics
  installation are present focus

low intensity plasma (lt0.05 A/cm2)
moderate intensity plasma ( 0.2 A/cm2)
chamber gas species during first plasma

• materials testing with D2 to start early April (W
  and Mo)
• T2 components upgrade and tests to be completed
  in June, including plasma operation
• materials testing with D2/T2 to start mid-July (W
  and Mo, Be testing will start in September)

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STAR is Ready for Operation of Tritium Experiments
Plans for the CY 2006

• Molten Salt Tritium Permeation Experiment

• 100 to 300 Ci transferred as D2/T2 in vessel
  loaded with SAS
• experiment will be setup in glovebox used for
  previous permeation studies
• diagnostics to include QMS, gas chromatograph,
  on-line ion chamber, and catalytic recovery
• effluent will exhaust via facility stack

• TPE Tritium Experiments

• 700 to 900 Ci transferred as T2 in vessel loaded
  with SAS
• further blending in TPE for desired T ion flux
• TDS measurements following plasma exposure will
  indicate retained D and T
• local U-Bed capture in TPE effluent routed to
  TCS for complete cleanup