A technique is under development that releases the helium content from a palladium-tritide storage bed in a way that allows quantitative mass spectral measurement. Currently, helium from tritium decay remains trapped after delivery of the stored tritium gas, so a complete characterization of the storage bed is not obtained from the delivered gases. SRNL has successfully identified the right materials of construction and process configuration to heat small samples of palladium storage bed material in a commercial “hybrid” microwave oven in a controlled manner to cause the desired effect of releasing the helium. After a few successful tests using zirconia as a surrogate storage bed material, the first test using representative (cold) palladium storage bed material was performed. A temperature of 1200 C was obtained in minutes and was controlled for over half an hour. Phase one of the project is completed. The successful implementation of this inexpensive microwave oven process will not only complete the mass balance correctly, but it will also provide a potential cost savings for the program over alternative methods for heating the spent palladium-tritide storage material.

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