The Operation Of The Tftr Tritium System

In April of 1993 PPPL embarked upon the tritium operations phase of the TFTR project. Four years later, in the early morning of April 4, 1997, TFTR pulsed with tritium for the last time. In those four years, approximately 1 mega Curie of tritium was processed, and a Tritium purification System (TPS) was commissioned. During this period > 1,000 invasive (line break) operations were performed with < 425 CL of tritium released to the environment. The highly successful operation of the TFTR tritium systems was due to a corporate culture which stressed the importance of safe operations and the commitment by the TFTR staff to conduct nuclear operations in an efficient and safe fashion. The operation of TFTR as a nuclear facility employed 1,096 detailed operations procedures which were adhered to by all nuclear operations personnel and included a clear chain of command for nuclear operations.The successful start of TFTR D-T plasma operations on the evening of December 11, 1993, marked the first time that a D-T fueled plasma was produced in an American Fusion Reactor. This, coupled with the >1000 D-T plasmas over the next several years, was the result of detailed plans and analysis. The same level of detailed planning and attention to safe nuclear operations led to the successful commissioning and operation of the Tritium Purification System, which recycled similar to 8 grams of tritium prior to shutdown as the result of TFTR decommissioning,The real time tracking of tritium at the site was accomplished by a multi-compartment tritium accounting system which employed ion-chambers, mass spectrometers, beta scintillator, and calibrated volumes for PVT inventory determination.