CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF TRITIUM REMOVAL FACILITY FOR FHRS

Tritium control is one of the most significant issues in Fluoride-salt-cooled High-temperature
Reactors (FHRs). Due to primarily neutron activation of the primary coolant FLiBe, a considerable amount
of tritium is generated in the primary loop. Tritium has excellent transport properties that allow it to move
into the environment, which would lead to health concerns to human beings and other living creatures. Thus
it is necessary to control and manage the generated tritium. In this paper, several design concepts for a
primary tritium removal facility are described and evaluated. The facility is designed for primary loop and
outside reactor core. The designs include a gas bubble purging system, a packed bed absorbing system, and
a heat exchanger geometry. Computer simulation was performed to determine the dimensions of the facility.
In this study, the AHTR pre-conceptual design by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory was adopted as the
FHR reference design. Primary comparisons of different designs were based on the computer simulation
results. Those concepts giving the best performance will be chosen for further design refinement and
evaluation, taking the entire primary loop into account.