TRITIUM PRODUCTION BY ELECTROLYSIS OF HEAVY-WATER

Tritium activity values are obtained from the electrolysis of heavy water on palladium and are higher than background values by over three orders of magnitude in at least 10 of 100 experiments. These values are far in excess of those expected from the enrichment of tritium during long-term electrolysis. The pretreatment of palladium, including acid etching and anodic charging and initial mild cathodic charging, seems to play the most important role in the success of the current experiments. Raising the temperature might enhance the rate of reaction, while small voltage increases will trigger the reaction. Too large an applied voltage change will quench the reaction. It is observed that heavy water additions or turbulence of the electrolyte might be a possible cause of the temporary quenching of the reaction.