Long term performances assessment of a water detritiation system components

Development of a water detritiation system (WDS), i.e. configuration, design and performance testing of critical components is essential for ITER. WDS is one of the key systems to control the tritium content in the effluent streams, to recover as much tritium as possible and consequently to minimize the impact to the environment. The ITER WDS is based on combined electrolysis catalytic exchange (CECE) process employing a liquid phase catalytic exchange (LPCE) column. The separation performances after 6 months exposure to tritiated water of the catalyst–packing mixture to fill the LPCE column developed at Tritium Laboratory Karlsruhe (TLK) are presented. A small stand-alone electrolysis cell has been in operation with tritiated water for 6 months. After 6 months continuously operation, the mechanical properties such as tensile strength and elongation of a solid polymer membrane (SPM) in service with tritiated water have been compared with those of a reference SPM in service with demineralized water.