Design of simultaneous proton irradiation-hydrogen permeation terminal for testing tritium permeation barrier coatings

Abstract:

A terminal for the study of simultaneous proton irradiation and hydrogen gas permeation for testing tritium permeation barrier (TPB) coatings at elevated temperature has been developed. A set of special testing equipment was added to the 2×3 MV tandem accelerator in Sichuan University providing the capability to study the synergistic effect of displacement damage, hydrogen permeation, and high temperature on the microstructure and properties of the coatings. The overall design goal and some main components of this terminal were introduced in detail, such as sample holder, hydrogen-containing permeation gas loop and design principle. The terminal was developed in order to obtain relevant data on TPB coatings, and it will enable future studies into the effect of irradiation on hydrogen permeation property in high temperature environment using in situ proton irradiation. Furthermore, the optimization of the terminal and testing parameters were discussed in this study.