Determination of hydrogen solubility in lead lithium using sole device

In the helium cooled lithium lead (HCLL) blanket for DEMO the breeding material is represented by eutectic lead lithium alloy flowing in poloidal–radial direction in the breeding module. The low solubility of hydrogen isotopes in the alloy generates an high partial pressure and, as a consequence, an high tritium permeation rate from the breeder into the He coolant and a considerable tritium inventory in the structural materials.Several experiments, devoted to determine the hydrogen solubility in lead lithium, have been performed in the past, giving contradictory results. To find a reliable value to be used in the safety analysis and in the design of both the tritium extraction system and the coolant purification system, the solubility of hydrogen (SOLE) experiment was launched in ENEA Brasimone in 2002.The SOLE device is based on the use of the absorption technique. The experimental results are in good agreement with the ones obtained in the past with similar techniques, varying from 1 × 10−2 mol m−3 Pa−1/2 up to 7 × 10−2 mol m−3 Pa−1/2.The experimental device and the obtained results are presented and discussed in this paper.