Abstract
This paper presents an in-situ methodology for studying the kinetics of tritium and helium-4 release from the intermetallic alloy Ga64Li36 during continuous neutron irradiation at the IVG.1 M research nuclear reactor. The developed methodology differs from traditional approaches by enabling continuous monitoring of tritium generation and release processes in real time without interrupting the irradiation regime. A specialized ampoule device was designed and manufactured for sample placement, providing temperature control in the range of 50 °C − 400 °C and mass spectrometric monitoring of the gas phase above the sample. Neutronic calculations of thermal neutron flux distribution (0.4–2.5 × 1014n·cm-2·s-1) and thermophysical calculations of the device’s temperature field were performed at reactor power levels of 1–10 MW. A methodology for conducting reactor experiments was developed, including vacuum system pumping modes (residual pressure ≤ 10–5 Pa), programmed temperature regulation of the sample, and continuous registration of partial pressures of gas components. Methodological experiments were conducted at steady-state reactor power levels of 1 and 3 MW to determine the temperature dependence (200 °C – 400 °C) of the gas phase composition. It was shown that at a temperature of 350 °C and power of 3 MW, the tritium release efficiency from the alloy reaches 85-90 % of the theoretically possible value. The developed methodology has proven its effectiveness, and the obtained results demonstrate the promising potential of gallium-lithium alloy as both structural and functional material for next- generation thermonuclear reactors.