A large scale cryopanel test arrangement for tritium pumping

A cryosorption panel test arrangement will be installed in the cryogenic forevacuum system of the Active Gas Handling System (AGHS) at Joint European Torus (JET). The panel is of International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) relevant design in terms of geometry and dimension, coating and sorbent material. The central objective of this task is to study, for the first time in such an in-depth and parametric way, the interaction of tritium and tritiated gas mixtures with the panel, with respect to pumping performance, desorption characteristics and structural influences. This paper describes the motivation for this task and outlines the experimental aims and how they are planned to be achieved. It presents the actual status and gives a description of the test arrangement design. The paper demonstrates how the AGHS is used as a unique benchmark test bed for an ITER component to qualify ITER tritium technology. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.