Tritium oxidation performance of hydrophobic regular Pt catalyst

Iwai, Yasunori; Sato, Katsumi; Kubo, Hitoshi*; Oshima, Yusuke*; Noguchi, Hiroshi*; Taniuchi, Junichi*

To enhance the reliability of tritium handling technologies for a fusion reactor, hydrophobic catalysts are strongly required for sufficient tritium oxidation at the room temperature without additional heating, considering the loss of electronic supply accident in the event of a fire. Traditional hydrophilic catalysts have lost its activity at room temperature due to the formation of water layer on the surface of the catalysts. JAEA and TKK have jointly researched and developed some inorganic-based hydrophobic catalysts for tritium oxidation at room temperature. The tritium oxidation performance of newly developed Hydrophobic Regular Pt Catalyst was independent on the moisture concentration in atmosphere. The reaction on the surface was the rate-controlling step at the room temperature. The tritium (hydrogen) concentration affected strongly the overall reaction rate coefficient. Research to improve catalyst activity is the next step for Hydrophobic Regular Pt Catalyst.