Hydrogen and its detection in fusion and fission nuclear materials – a review

Fusion and fission reactions are profoundly dependent on hydrogen for sustained reactions. Fusion is fueled by the isotopes of hydrogen, and predominantly hydrogen-based moderators slow fission neutrons to propagate chain reactions. Intentional tritium production in fusion and concomitant tritium production in fission reactors introduce challenges. The technology to efficiently extract, harvest, and quantify tritium in and from advanced fission molten salt coolants and fusion molten tritium breeder materials will require more pronounced research and development. Measuring and quantifying hydrogen is necessary in all areas of nuclear materials. Although many characterization techniques cannot directly detect hydrogen, numerous techniques provide the necessary information to understand the behavior of hydrogen in nuclear materials.