IN SITU TRITIUM MEASUREMENTS AND CONTROL BY LASER TECHNIQUES

In this paper, in situ tritium measurements and control by laser techniques are presented. It is proposed to use Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) as an efficient technique to measure the tritium concentration in ablated material. However, LIBS could be limited due to material melting observed during ablation possibly leading to hydrogen losses. Laser ablation is shown to be an efficient process to recover the in vessel tritium if the dust produced during ablation is collected. This could be forbidden if ITER cannot be operated at high pressure. To overcome this difficulty and detritiate remote surfaces, laser heating could be applied since it generates gaseous compounds. However, inward diffusion could be expected leading to burry tritium in bulk material which is a counterproductive action. Finally, all these techniques must be embarked on remote handling system in order to explore and treat large surfaces. Obviously, this carrier is needed for a reliable and an efficient operation of the ITER nuclear facility.