Development of a Heavy Water Detritiation Plant for PIK Reactor

The research reactor PIK should be supplied with a Detritiation Plant (DP) to remove tritium from heavy water in order to reduce operator radiation dose and tritium emissions. The original design of the reactor PIK Detritiation Plant was completed several years ago. A number of investigations have been made to obtain data for the DP design. Nowadays the design of the DP is being revised on a basis of our investigations. The Combined Electrolysis and Catalytic Exchange (CECE) process will be used at the Detritiation Plant instead of Vapor Phase Catalytic Exchange. The experimental industrial plant for hydrogen isotope separation on the basis of the CECE process is under operation in Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute. The plant was updated to provide a means for heavy water detritiation. Very high detritiation factors have been achieved in the plant. The use of the CECE process will allow the development of a more compact and less expensive detritiation plant for heavy water reactor PIK.