Probing the Radial Chemistry of Getter Components in Light Water Reactors via Controlled Electrochemical Dissolution.

Getters are among the key functional components in the tritium-producing burnable absorber rods (TPBARs) of light water reactors (LWRs) and are used to capture the released tritium gas. They are nickel-plated zircaloy-4 tubes that, upon exposure to irradiation or tritium in the light water reactors, undergo alteration in structure, chemical composition, and chemistry. Understanding the radial tritium distribution is key to gaining insight into the evolution of new chemistry upon irradiation to predict getter performance.