Simulation-based evaluation of radiation effects at the interface between tritiated water and hydrophobic polymers used in detritiation systems

Due to the low energy of β-radiation emitted by tritium, measuring dose-depth profiles in hydrophobic materials at the catalyst-tritiated water interface is challenging. To address this issue, we developed a Geant 4-based model which can facilitate the understanding of absorbed dose distributions, showing how primary and secondary particles following tritium decay influence the dose profiles of two analyzed materials: polytetrafluoroethylene and polystyrene. The obtained results, combined into an analytical formula, deliver the absorbed dose rates at various depths and specific activities of tritiated water.