Tritiated Dust Levitation by Beta Induced Static Charge
Authors: C.H. Skinner, C.A. Gentile, L. Ciebiera, and S. Langish
Date of PPPL Report: June 2003
Submitted to: Fusion Science and Technology
Tritiated particles have been observed to spontaneously levitate under the influence of a static electric field. Tritium containing co-deposits were mechanically scraped from tiles that had been used in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) inner limiter during the deuterium-tritium campaign and were placed in a glass vial. On rubbing the plastic cap of the vial a remarkable 'fountain' of particles was seen inside the vial. Particles from an unused tile or from a TFTR co-deposit formed during deuterium discharges did not exhibit this phenomenon. It appears that tritiated particles are more mobile than other particles and this should be considered in assessing tokamak accident scenarios and in occupational safety.