A COMPARITIVE STUDY OF DIFFERENT HYDROGEN SENSORS

Niobium sensors

Iron sensors

Optimized iron sensors

Tritium sensing and processing technologies in leadlithium-A. Ciampichetti, M. Utili, A. Aiello ENEA UTIS C.R. Brasimone

Iron-palladium sensors
Tritium sensing and processing technologies in lead-lithium-A. Ciampichetti, M. Utili, A. Aiello ENEA UTIS C.R. Brasimone

Sc-doped CaZrO3 hydrogen sensor for liquid blanket system

Sc-doped CaZrO3 hydrogen sensor for liquid blanket system --Masatoshi Kondo,Takeo Muroga, Koji Katahira Tomoko Oshima

REFERENCE

Materials selection and design of a hydrogen measurement device in Pb17Li A. Ciampichetti, I. Ricapito, G. Benamati, M. Zucchetti

Materials selection and design of a hydrogen measurement device in Pb17Li A. Ciampichetti, I. Ricapito, G. Benamati, M. Zucchetti

STRUCTURE

OPERATING PRINCIPLE

A hydrogen permeation sensor is a hollow capsule immersed in a liquid metal where hydrogen is dissolved at a certain concentration CL in equilibrium with a pressure Peq. The capsule is connected, through a small tube, to a vacuum pumping system, depending on its mode of operation. The measurement of the hydrogen isotopes partial pressure in the capsule or hydrogen permeation flux through the capsule walls has to be correlated with the Hydrogen concentration CL in the liquid metal.

A hydrogen permeation sensor is a hollow capsule immersed in a liquid metal where hydrogen is dissolved at a certain concentration CL in equilibrium with a pressure Peq. The capsule is connected, through a small tube, to a vacuum pumping system, depending on its mode of operation. The measurement of the hydrogen isotopes partial pressure in the capsule or hydrogen permeation flux through the capsule walls has to be correlated with the Hydrogen concentration CL in the liquid metal.

A hydrogen permeation sensor is a hollow capsule immersed in a liquid metal where hydrogen is dissolved at a certain concentration CL in equilibrium with a pressure Peq. The capsule is connected, through a small tube, to a vacuum pumping system, depending on its mode of operation. The measurement of the hydrogen isotopes partial pressure in the capsule or hydrogen permeation flux through the capsule walls has to be correlated with the Hydrogen concentration CL in the liquid metal.

A hydrogen permeation sensor is a hollow capsule immersed in a liquid metal where hydrogen is dissolved at a certain concentration CL in equilibrium with a pressure Peq. The capsule is connected, through a small tube, to a vacuum pumping system, depending on its mode of operation. The measurement of the hydrogen isotopes partial pressure in the capsule or hydrogen permeation flux through the capsule walls has to be correlated with the Hydrogen concentration CL in the liquid metal.

The sensor cell is placed in the melt which contained hydrogen of the designed concentration. Hydrogen comes to the gas compartment from the melt. After equilibrium, the hydrogen concentration S is derived by the partial pressure of the hydrogen in the gas compartment as PH(1) according to the Sieverts law. In the sensor cell, reference gas is continuously supplied and the hydrogen partial pressure is Regulated at PH(2).

RANGE

tested at 450 0C a high hydrogen testing pressure (range 12 bar)

Tested at temperature range 350550 0C, with a hydrogen partial pressure between 200 and 1100 mbar. capsule external diameter: 1.3 cm capsule thickness: 1 mm capsule height: 3 cm tube height: 30 cm tube external diameter: 1.3 cm tube thickness: 1.5 mm.

Tested at 400-450- 500 C in the range 10-100 mbar both in equilibrium and dynamic mode

Tested at 350-400-450500 C in the range 1100 mbar both in equilibrium and dynamic mode. .

Test temperature was 700 C. The reference gas and measurement gas were continuously injected at the flow rate of 50 and 100 cm3/min, respectively. Proton conducting ceramics of CaZr0.95O3aSc0.05 (better corrosion resistance ) The surface of the sensor cell was covered by Pt which works as electrode. Pt was plated over the surface of the sensor. The sensor performance and validity was investigated by means of performance test in ArH2 gas atmosphere at 700 C. The obtained electromotive force of the sensor was agreed well with the theoretical value. The sensor exhibited stable

DESIGN

capsule external diameter: 1.3 cm capsule thickness: 1 mm capsule height: 3 cm tube height: 30 cm tube external diameter: 1.3 cm tube thickness: 1.5 mm.

Thickness of the permeable walls: 0.125 mm Manufacturing: welded with a laser technique Filling: cylinder of Al Gas tight

Membrane: pure iron, thickness 50/125 m Coating: 2 m of palladium in the internal side Coating technology: magnetron sputtering Welding technology: micro-laser

RESULTS

Equilibrium mode: The observed low permeation fluxes show the impossibility of operating the Nbsensor in equilibrium Mode Dynamic mode: The differences obtained performing tests in the same conditions prove the

Equilibrium mode: The operation of the iron sensor in equilibrium mode is not feasible, because of the very long time (several hours) necessary to reach the hydrogen pressure equilibrium. Dynamic mode: The Fe-sensor

Equilibrium mode: the order of magnitude of the response time is around 1 hour

Dynamic mode:
response time of few seconds but the behavior of the sensor over the time is not completely reliable

Equilibrium mode: the time necessary to reach the equilibrium pressure is around 8 h (higher permeation flux but reduced permeation surface with respect the cylindrical sensor). Dynamic mode: the response time is very short and the reliability is better than the pure

impossibility of operating the sensor in dynamic mode.

quickly reaches the steady state condition of the permeating flux (a few seconds are necessary) and, therefore, if operated in dynamic mode.

iron sensor. Reproducible results in terms of permeation fluxes have been obtained in the different operating conditions.

output in the varied hydrogen partial pressure. The sensor responded well with the change of hydrogen concentration in the gas atmosphere. The sensor showed good reproducibility.

ADVANTAGE

simplest design and mechanism of operation

shows fast response in dynamic mode Fe sensor is more advanced compare to Nb sensors simplest design and mechanism of operation

Act in both equilibrium and dynamic mode

In the dynamic mode response time is very short and it is more reliable than pure iron and niobium sensors.

sensor was constructed using proton conducting ceramics of CaZr0.95O3aSc0.05 which was expected to show better corrosion Resistance than others. Stable output Sensor showed good response due to the change of hydrogen concentration in the melt.

DISADVANTAGE

low permeation fluxes shows that it can be operated in equilibrium as well as in dynamic mode

Cannot be operated in equilibrium mode because time require to reach equilibrium is very long.

the behavior of the sensor over the time is not completely reliable in dynamic mode

In equilibrium mode time require to reach equilibrium time taken is very high compare to others