The very first tritium test rig for STEP has commenced its trials on site at Culham…
The test rig, known internally as the ‘low temperature waste permeation rig’, is designed to assess the rate of permeation of tritium through a variety of solid materials at less than 200°C. These trials will help the STEP team to design waste containers which minimise tritium permeation over long-timescales, to ensure public and worker protection.
Over 20 people attended the launch event at the rig, which successfully inputted tritium gas and will now run for a month before results are collected. The rig has been supported by the STEP Plant Lifecycle (PLC) team since 2021 and delivered by the H3AT department’s Waste Innovation and Science Group.
Naomi Scott-Mearns, STEP Waste and Innovation lead, who has led on this work with the PLC team said; “These new trials are an exciting step forward for our programme moving from planning to doing as we (STEP) are demonstrating that we are actively considering our long-term waste footprint. This all feeds into a long-term experimental plan and a key part of the STEP Waste & Decommissioning team’s research programme.
“It’s been a valiant effort for all involved and I’d like to take the opportunity to thank the Plant Lifecycle Team (particularly Zilvinas Zacharauskas, Mark Gilbert, Adrian Van Arkel and Femi Ajala) and Stephen Reynolds in H3AT.”
Following the success of this rig, there are plans to link up with other experimental rigs, such as the Simultaneous Thermoanalysis oxidation rig currently housed in
@imperialcollege, as the STEP Programme develops. These additional tests will further explore how oxidation can affect tritium permeation rates.
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