Experimental Analysis for Tritium Recovery in Lithium–Lead Alloy Using a Membrane Gas–Liquid Contactor Concept

The eutectic PbLi (15.7 at.% Li) alloy appears promising for producing tritium from fertile materials. Currently, in nuclear fusion design, the technologies being explored for tritium extraction in molten phases primarily focus on (i) established processes based on Gas–Liquid Contactor (GLC), such as bubble, packed, or spray columns, or on (ii) exploiting hydrogen permeation phenomena using dense metallic membranes, i.e., Permeation Against Vacuum (PAV). This work introduces a new concept, a Membrane Gas–Liquid Contactor, to address several open issues related to mass transport phenomena within the previously mentioned technologies. The MGLC concept merges the advantages of Permeation Against Vacuum (PAV) and Gas–Liquid Contactor (GLC), which have been extensively applied to extract hydrogen and its isotopes from liquid metals. A comprehensive description of the MGLC’s operation is then provided, suggesting a mass transfer model suitable for the practical application of this new concept. Finally, the results of the experimental campaign conducted on a lab-scale test facility are presented and critically analyzed.