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Four Years of Tritium Operation of the KATRIN Experiment at TLK

David Hillesheimer, Alexander Marsteller, Florian Priester, Marco Röllig, Michael Sturm, Stefan Welte, Johanna Wydra, Lutz Bornschein, Tobias Falke, Tobias Weber, Nancy Tuchscherer, Thanh-Long Le, Simon Niemes

Fusion Science and Technology / Volume 80 / Number 3-4 / May 2024 / Pages 465-471

Research Article / dx.doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2023.2209691

Received:February 2, 2023
Accepted:April 27, 2023
Published:April 3, 2024

The Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment measures the tritium β-spectrum close to the maximum decay energy to achieve the value of the electron-antineutrino mass with a sensitivity of 0.2 eV/c2 (90% confidence level). Since only a small fraction of the decay electrons carries nearly all the energy, a high luminous tritium source, with its supporting infrastructure facilities, is necessary.

Since the start of the tritium operation of KATRIN back in May 2018, more than 600 days of 24/7 measuring campaigns with a total tritium throughput of ≈18.1 kg and a tritium concentration >95% have been conducted. Despite several technical issues occurring during the run time, the necessary reliable supply of tritium was provided. This contribution will give an overview of the current operational conditions of the Tritium Laboratory Karlsruhe tritium facilities involved, as well as the relevant technical, analytical, and administrative procedures implemented. Furthermore, an analysis will be given for system and component malfunctions in the tritium loop as well as the associated actions for problem-solving and repair. In addition, an end-of-life investigation for the component failure will be presented.