Permeation behaviour of hydrogen isotopes in molten FLiBe (2LiF–BeF2): Identifying sources of uncertainty and associated measurement challenges

Abstract

This paper presents results from systematic investigations conducted in the HYPERION facility to quantify permeabilities of hydrogen isotopes in FLiBe over a temperature range of 773K – 973K. To address the knowledge gap resulting from widely scattered transport parameters reported in the earlier studies, HYPERION experiments incorporate specific provisions to probe unsubstantiated assumptions, including a one-dimensional permeation, membrane surface coverage by the salt, and ideal wettability of the salt-metal interface. Suppression of the isotopic transport behaviour for metal-side charging highlights the permeation barrier characteristics of a bubble-laden Ni–FLiBe interface, impacting permeability by up to 77%. This work attempts to resolve this issue via salt-side charging and informs constraints on the permeant charging methodology for future studies. The initial insights from HYPERION experiments call into question the design choices and estimated transport properties in earlier works. This study provides a plausible explanation for the observed scatter in H/D/T transport in FLiBe.