Counter-permeation of deuterium and hydrogen through INCONEL 600

Takeda, Tetsuaki; Iwatsuki, Jin* 

The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of the existence of hydrogen in a pipe outside on the amount of permeated deuterium through the pipe. It was found that the amount of permeated deuterium decreases with increasing the partial pressure of hydrogen in the pipe outside when the partial pressure of deuterium in the pipe is lower than 100 Pa and that of hydrogen in the pipe outside is higher than 10 kPa. The amount of permeated deuterium on counter permeation was predicted quantitatively by using an effectiveness factor for diffusivity of deuterium in metals and by taking into account the equilibrium state for hydrogen, deuterium and HD molecules on the metal surface. From the results obtained in this study, it is supposed that the amount of tritium transferred from the primary circuit of the HTTR to the hydrogen production system will be reduced by the existence of high-pressure hydrogen in the catalyst pipe of the steam reformer.