Preparation of Multifunctional Detritiation Catalyst and Design of Detritiation Reactor in Fusion Facility

Tritium must be strictly defended in tritium systems because of its permeability and radioactivity. Detritiation devices are required in tritium systems, such as the glove box detritiation system, the vent detritiation system, and the air detritiation system in ITER. The method of catalytic oxidation and adsorption is widely used for air detritiation, and metal gas getter is used in glove box detritiation. Here, a Ce-based oxide-loaded honeycomb catalyst is prepared as a multifunctional detritiation catalyst. The properties of the Ce-based oxide and catalyst are characterized by X-ray diffraction, N₂-adsorption/desorption (Brunauer-Emmet-Teller method), and H₂ temperature programmed reduction. The catalytic performance is tested under both O₂-lean and O₂-rich atmospheres. Results indicate that the Pt/Ce_0.7Zr_0.3O₂ honeycomb catalyst fully oxidizes H₂ at room temperature with high space velocity (3.2 × 10⁴ h⁻¹) when oxygen is sufficient. When oxygen is deficient, H₂ is also fully oxidized by the catalyst at 200°C, with the oxygen supplying from the support. A detritiation test using tritium as reactant is also carried out, and the results verify the feasibility for detritiation application. An improved detritiation reactor is designed and built based on the multifunctional catalyst.