Overview of the Safety and Tritium Applied Research (STAR) Facility

1. Overview of theSafety and Tritium Applied Research (STAR) Facility Phil Sharpe Fusion Safety Program Idaho National Laboratory, USA HAPL Program Meeting ORNL 21-22 March 2006

2. Provide laboratory infrastructure to study tritium science and technology issues associated with the development of safe and environmentally friendly fusion energy Designated a National User Facility Research thrust areas Plasma-material interactions of PFC materials with energetic tritium and deuterium ions Fusion safety: chemical reactivity, activation product mobilization and dust/debris characterization for PFC materials; tritium behavior in fusion systems (in-vessel source term) Molten salts and fusion liquids for tritium breeder and coolant applications Fission reactor tritium production permeation issues; AGR fuel tritium retention and release studies Tritium plant and fuel cycle issues for MFE and IFE STAR Mission and Research

3. STAR Floor-plan Layout Glovebox TCS Chemical reactivity experiment Tritium SAS Tritium Stack monitor D ion implantation experiment Glovebox exhaust manifold Tritium Plasma Exp Flibe preparation purification & testing Flibe-tritium experiment Flibe Salt 2Lif-BeF2 Flibe-corrosion experiment 15,000 Ci tritium limit Segregation of operations/ventilation Once-through room ventilation Gloveboxes and hoods Tritium cleanup system (TCS) Tritium storage and assay system (SAS) 15,000 Ci tritium limit Segregation of operations Gloveboxes and hoods Tritium cleanup system Once-through room ventilation

4. Key systems in STAR Molten Salt Tritium Behavior Experiment Tritium Storage and Assay System Tritium Plasma Experiment and Enclosure Steam and air chemical reactivity test apparatus Molten Salt Preparation, Purification, and REDOX Experiments Tritium Cleanup System

5. Star Tritium Storage and Assay System • Handles reception, distribution, and accountability of tritium inventory SAS manifold and vacuum pumps SAS glovebox Setup

6. Inlet Outlet IC Inlet sample loop Condenser Control Heat exchanger MS water Mole sieve bed Blower Catalyst beds STAR Tritium Cleanup System (TCS) Removes tritium in process gases from glovebox atmospheres and experiment systems.

7. Highlights of Recent Accomplishments • Useable tritium inventory now 1300 Ci • 300 Ci in equimolar H2:D2:T2 calibration standard • 1000 Ci T2 available for experiments • shipments from SRS limited to 1000 Ci with standard TYPE-A shipping container Shipping Vessel (1 available)

8. Highlights of Recent Accomplishments, cont. • TPE Operations Initiated • plasma characteristics testing and diagnostics installation are present focus low intensity plasma (<0.05 A/cm2) moderate intensity plasma (~ 0.2 A/cm2) chamber gas species during first plasma • materials testing with D2 to start early April (W and Mo) • T2 components upgrade and tests to be completed in June, including plasma operation • materials testing with D2/T2 to start mid-July (W and Mo, Be testing will start in September)

9. STAR is Ready for Operation of Tritium Experiments Plans for the CY 2006: • Molten Salt Tritium Permeation Experiment: • 100 to 300 Ci transferred as D2/T2 in vessel loaded with SAS • experiment will be setup in glovebox used for previous permeation studies • diagnostics to include QMS, gas chromatograph, on-line ion chamber, and catalytic recovery • effluent will exhaust via facility stack • TPE Tritium Experiments: • 700 to 900 Ci transferred as T2 in vessel loaded with SAS • further blending in TPE for desired T ion flux • TDS measurements following plasma exposure will indicate retained D and T • local U-Bed capture in TPE; effluent routed to TCS for complete cleanup