Methods to Prove Existence of Tritium in Fusor Exhaust

In summary, a cloud chamber would be the best way to detect tritium, but it would be extremely difficult and expensive to do so.
  • #1
nwfusor
9
0
I'm looking into a science fair project involving proving the existence of tritium in the exhaust of a Farnsworth fusor, and was wondering what the ideal method to prove it is. I've thought of three so far. The first is ionizing the gas and analyzing the spectra. The second is placing an alpha particle detector in a vacuum chamber filled with the gas. And the third is liquefying the gas and evaporating them off to collect and separating them. Ideas/opinions?
 
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  • #2
How different is the spectrum of tritium from hydrogen?
Is tritium an alpha source?
How much tritium will you produce? What is its boiling point? What is its volume in liquid form?
 
  • #3
What kind of resources are at your disposal? These sound rather ambitious.
Trying to detect trace amounts of tritium in deuterium will be extremely difficult with spectroscopy, since the lines are so close together and the deuterium lines will totally dominate over the tritium. I would not go this route.
A cloud chamber might be able to pick up positrons from tritium decay. But it would be so much simpler and cheaper to use a Geiger counter. Though a cloud chamber has the advantage of letting you identify positrons by their motion in a magnetic field.
If you liquify the gas, you'll get a bunch of D2, and a tiny amount of DT and even tinier amount of T2 all dissolved together. It will take way too many fractional distillation stages to concentrate the T, and you still need some way of testing that what you have left is indeed tritium. Also, liquid hydrogen is damn cold. Also, the government might get a little wary about people enriching tritium without special licenses.

Maybe this will give you some clues... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium_illumination
 
  • #4
Khashishi said:
A cloud chamber might be able to pick up positrons from tritium decay. But it would be so much simpler and cheaper to use a Geiger counter.

A. Tritium does not produce positrons
B. The electron endpoint is 18 keV; this will not penetrate most Geiger windows.
 
  • #5
Perhaps the 3He can be detected with a mass spectrometer.
 
  • #6
A residual gas analyzer may be able to distinguish between hydrogen and tritium, as long as you are at low enough pressures to run it.
 

Related to Methods to Prove Existence of Tritium in Fusor Exhaust

1. How is tritium detected in fusor exhaust?

There are several methods for detecting tritium in fusor exhaust, including liquid scintillation counting, gas proportional counting, and accelerator mass spectrometry. These methods all involve isolating the tritium from the exhaust and measuring its radioactivity.

2. What is the sensitivity of these methods?

The sensitivity of these methods varies, but they are all capable of detecting extremely small amounts of tritium. Liquid scintillation counting and gas proportional counting can detect as little as 0.1 picocuries of tritium, while accelerator mass spectrometry can detect even lower levels, down to 0.0001 picocuries.

3. Can these methods distinguish between tritium and other isotopes?

Yes, these methods are able to distinguish between tritium and other isotopes by measuring the ratio of different isotopes present in the exhaust. Tritium has a distinct ratio compared to other isotopes, allowing it to be identified and measured separately.

4. How long does it take to perform these methods?

The time required to perform these methods varies, but they typically take between a few hours to a few days. This depends on the specific method used, the sensitivity required, and the amount of tritium present in the exhaust.

5. Are there any limitations to these methods?

These methods do have some limitations, such as the need for specialized equipment and trained personnel, as well as the potential for interference from other radioactive elements present in the exhaust. Additionally, these methods may not be able to detect very small amounts of tritium, and may not be suitable for continuous monitoring of tritium levels.

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