Register for free to
view the full innovation profile.
A method to prevent ingress of hydrogen isotopes in pressure tubes made of metals (zirconium) or alloys by the addition of a hydrogen getter to the end of the pressure tube.
About
Hydrogen in metals is sometimes a problem because of embrittlement, and methods are sought to reduce the concentration and ingress of hydrogen. Specifically, a method is disclosed to reduce the rate of ingress of hydrogen isotopes and their subsequent concentrations in zirconium alloy pressure tubes in a CANDU reactor where they are joined to the stainless-steel end-fitting, by the addition of a hydrogen getter to the outboard portion of the end fitting. The hydrogen getter can be any material that has a lower chemical potential for hydrogen than zirconium and can be attached to the end fitting so that a free path for hydrogen movement between the zirconium, steel, and getter is produced. Suitable candidate getter materials include zirconium, titanium, niobium, hafnium, vanadium, or yttrium, as metal, metal alloys or metal composites. Canada Application/Publication Number: 3,007,703 (filed June 18, 2019) Inventor(s): McRae, Glenn A; Coleman, Christopher E; Langille, Scott T. Please contact Theresa White (Manager- Innovation Transfer) at [email protected] for more information.