Question

Which is more hazardous being close to a sealed jar filled with tritium has or getting several drops of titrated water on your skin? explain your answer

In the SRS tritium facility which process separate hydrogen isotopes from other gasses? which process separates tritium from the other hydrogen isotopes?

what limits the number of TP Bars that can be loaded into a commercial nuclear reactor during one fuel cycle?

Answer 1

Ans. (1) Tritium emits low energetic beta particles. Being close to a jar filled with tritium vapour (i.e T2O or THO), it can easily enter in our body through inhalation or absorption through our skin. While getting several drops of tritiated water on our skin, it doesn't get readily absorbed thorugh our skin. Absorption ratio of tritium vapour and tritiated water in human body is nearly 2 : 1.

Hence, being close to a sealed jar filled with tritium gas is more hazardous compared to getting several drops of tritiated water on our skin. (Ans.)

(2) In the SRS tritium facility, Gas Transport Mechanism (GTM) is used to separate hydrogen isotopes from the other gases. In this mechanism, mixture of gases is incorporated in the chamber and they are separated in accordance with their masses.

Thermal Cycling Absorption Process (TCAP) is used to separate the tritium from other hydrogen isotopes.

Initially, this mixture is passed through 'Cryogenic Distillation System', where the mixture is distilled at very low temperature and is obtained in pure form.

Finally, the pure mixture is incorporated in 'Isotopic equilibrator', which is a reactor operated in room temperature. In presence of palladium/aluminium catalyst, it separates tritium from other hydrogen isotopes in several cyclic processes. (Ans.)

(3) Tritium rods act as neutron initiator in nuclear reactor. Nuclear reactions always follow chain reactions. In a commercial nuclear reactor, production of nuclear energy is limited.

Hence, to follow up controlled chain reactions in a nuclear reactor, number of tritium rods that can be loaded should be limited. Otherwise, it will cause uncontrolled chain reactions and leads to explosion. (Ans.)

N.B. ::  This problem belongs to radioactivity in Physics. The above questions which are soved are the key concept of this topic.

If you go through this topic deeply, you will be able to understand these questions easily. In this way through more and more practise you can boost your level up.