KR-102964629-B1 - Apparatus for recovering helium-3

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for recovering Helium-3 from a tritium storage container, comprising: a main pipe connected to a gas phase extraction line of the tritium storage container for transferring Helium-3 gas to the Helium-3 storage container; a pressure gauge; a carrier gas supply unit; a purification getter; a first sample collection line; a second sample collection line; a Helium-3 storage container; and a compressor. According to the present invention, the Helium-3 recovery device is configured to be compact and can be directly mounted and integrated into the tritium storage container, thereby providing high space efficiency and easy installation. Furthermore, rare and expensive Helium-3 can be safely and efficiently recovered and utilized as a resource at room temperature without deformation of the tritium storage container.

Inventors

• 송규민
• 권혁철
• 이경희

Assignees

• 한국수력원자력 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20230512

Claims (5)

1. A main pipe for transferring helium-3 gas to a helium-3 storage container, connected to a gas phase extraction line of a tritium storage container comprising a main body, a titanium sponge stored inside the main body, a tritium injection line for injecting tritium into the titanium sponge, and a gas phase extraction line for discharging gases generated by the decay of tritium to the outside, wherein a valve is connected and installed to control the internal pressure state; A pressure gauge connected to the main pipe above, which, in order to verify the amount of Helium-3 produced by decay from tritium stored in a tritium storage container, opens a valve to extract and transport Helium-3 gas using the pressure difference when Helium-3 gas at a certain pressure is formed; A carrier gas supply unit connected to the main pipe above and supplying a carrier gas for transporting helium-3 gas; A purification getter connected in parallel to the main piping above and located between the pressure gauge and the helium-3 gas receiving tank, for removing impurity gases within the helium-3 gas; A first sample collection line connected to the main pipe and positioned between the pressure gauge and the purification getter, wherein a vacuum pump is connected at the downstream end to detect impurity gases in the helium-3 gas and to remove residual impurities in the pipe in order to ensure the purity of the helium-3 gas; A second sample collection line connected to the main pipe and located between the purification getter and the helium-3 gas receiving tank, for detecting impurity gases in the helium-3 gas after purification; A helium-3 storage container connected to the main pipe above and for storing helium-3 gas from which impurity gases have been removed; and It is connected in parallel to the main piping and installed in a branch structure between the purification getter and the helium-3 gas receiving tank, and includes a compressor for compressing and storing helium-3 gas in a helium-3 storage container when the pressure of the helium-3 gas with the desired purity confirmed is low or when a carrier gas is used. A device for recovering Helium-3 from a tritium storage container, characterized in that the purification getter is composed of a uranium (U) or zirconium (ZrMx) alloy material depending on the type and content of the impurity gas, and is installed in a branched structure of a main pipe and a purification getter branch pipe to remove impurity gas within the Helium-3 gas.
2. In paragraph 1, A device for recovering helium-3 from a tritium storage container, characterized in that the carrier gas is argon gas.
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4. In paragraph 1, A device for recovering helium-3 from a tritium storage container, characterized in that the helium-3 storage container is a storage container under atmospheric pressure or vacuum.
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Description

Helium-3 recovery apparatus The present invention relates to a helium-3 recovery device, and more specifically, to a device for recovering helium-3 from a tritium storage container. Helium-3 (He-3) is a stable isotope of helium that possesses two protons and one neutron. Helium-3 is produced during the proton-proton chain reaction or as a daughter nuclide when tritium undergoes beta decay. Because Helium-3 exists in extremely small quantities (0.000137%) in nature, it is highly valuable due to its scarcity; furthermore, it holds high economic value as a future energy resource because it produces enormous energy when fused with deuterium. In nuclear power plants, tritium is generated through the activation of system water. In particular, in heavy water reactors that use heavy water ( D₂O ) as a moderator and coolant, high concentrations of tritium are generated in the system water. Therefore, to protect workers and reduce environmental emissions, a Tritium Removal Facility (TRF) is used to separate and store tritium and recover and reuse heavy water. Currently, tritium produced at the Wolsong TRF is stored in storage containers in the form of metal hydrides on titanium storage materials (titanium sponge). Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a tritium storage container. Referring to FIG. 1, tritium is stored in a tritium storage container in a state where it is adsorbed onto a titanium sponge (20). The tritium storage container includes a main body (10), a titanium sponge (20) stored inside the main body (10), a tritium injection line (30) for injecting tritium into the titanium sponge (20), and a gas phase extraction line (40) for discharging gases generated by the decay of the tritium to the outside. As time progresses, tritium is converted into helium-3 through the decay reaction of tritium as shown in Reaction Scheme 1 below. [Reaction Equation 1] The half-life of the above tritium is about 12.3 years, and about 5% is converted into helium-3 annually. It is estimated that the helium-3 produced in this way exists in the gaseous phase of the storage container in gaseous form. Since the aforementioned Helium-3 is a rare material used in neutron detectors and the like, and is one of the materials that is difficult to obtain globally, methods to recover the generated Helium-3 with high efficiency are being researched. Conventional methods for recovering Helium-3 from tritium storage containers involve heating the tritium storage container to a high temperature of approximately 800°C or higher to dehydrate both tritium and Helium-3, and then separating them. However, this requires the construction of complex facilities and the creation of a high-temperature environment, which poses operational risks. Furthermore, when the tritium storage container is treated at high temperatures, tritium frequently penetrates the walls of the container, rendering it unusable and making disposal difficult. Accordingly, a new method is required to safely and conveniently recover Helium-3 from the aforementioned tritium storage container. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a tritium storage container. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a helium-3 recovery device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, in order to explain the present invention more specifically, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be embodied in other forms. One aspect of the present invention provides a device for recovering helium-3 from a tritium storage container. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a helium-3 recovery device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, a helium-3 recovery device according to one embodiment of the present invention is, A main pipe (2) connected to the gas phase extraction line (40) of the tritium storage container (1) for transferring helium-3 gas to the helium-3 storage container; A pressure gauge (3) connected to the main pipe above and used to check the amount of Helium-3 produced from the decay of tritium stored in the tritium storage container; A carrier gas supply unit (4) connected to the main pipe above and supplying a carrier gas for transporting helium-3 gas; A purification getter (5) connected in parallel to the main pipe and located between the pressure gauge and the helium-3 gas receiving tank, for removing impurity gas from the helium-3 gas; A first sample collection line (6) connected to the main pipe and located between the pressure gauge and the purification getter, for detecting impurity gas in the helium-3 gas; A second sample collection line (7) connected to the main pipe and located between the purification getter and the helium-3 gas receiving tank, for detecting impurity gas in the helium-3 gas after purification; A helium-