Tritium Transport Vessel Using Depleted Uranium

A tritium transport vessel using depleted uranium was tested in the laboratory using deuterium and protium. The vessel contains 0.5 kg of depleted uranium and can hold up to 18 grams of tritium. The conditions for activation, tritium loading and tritium unloading were defined. The safety aspects that included air-ingress, tritium diffusion, temperature and pressure potentials were evaluated. Air ingress did not cause any temperature surge when the uranium was fully hydrided, but created a temperature peak of 200 °C when the uranium was dehydrided. Accumulation of non-reactive gases such as argon and moisture in the air blocked further air ingress. Only a flow-through type of air ingress could damage the vessel.