In a closed coolant loop of a nuclear reactor there is provided an apparatus for purifying contaminated nuclear reactor coolant gas of nuclear decomposition products, comprising filtering means for filtering a uniform flow of contaminated gas to be purified, the filtering means having components consisting at least partly of copper, gas removing means for removing a test quantity of the contaminated gas flowing through the filtering means, gas testing means connected to the gas removing means for receiving the test quantity and for analyzing the contaminating content of the test quantity, and means for selectively adding quantities of reducing and oxidizing gases to the contaminated gas so as to simultaneously regenerate the components of the filtering means as the contaminated gas is being purified.
In a method for the controlled removal of hydrogen released into the chambers of a nuclear reactor containment after a break of the primary cooling system, the hydrogen is contacted with an oxygen providing material stored in the containment which causes recombination of the hydrogen to H.sub.2 O in a controlled manner at least until the amount of the gas within the hydrogen chamber is below the ignition limit of a hydrogen oxygen gas mixture.
An improvement in a tritium control system based on a catalytic oxidation reactor wherein accidental releases of tritium into room air are controlled by flooding the catalytic oxidation reactor with hydrogen when the tritium concentration in the room air exceeds a specified limit. The sudden flooding with hydrogen heats the catalyst to a high temperature within seconds, thereby greatly increasing the catalytic oxidation rate of tritium to tritiated water vapor. Thus, the catalyst is heated only when needed. In addition to the heating effect, the hydrogen flow also swamps the tritium and further reduces the tritium release.
A device for collecting fission gas released by a failed fuel rod which device uses a filter to pass coolant but which filter blocks fission gas bubbles which cannot pass through the filter due to the surface tension of the bubble.
