Absorption and desorption of hydrogen from inert gas mixtures with a Zr₃Al₂ particle bed

Recovery of hydrogen isotopes in an inert gas stream at room temperature up to a very low level is of great interest in connection with the fuel cycle in a fusion reactor. In this paper, a bed of Zr₃Al₂ particles was investigated for the recovery of hydrogen from an argon gas stream. For the analysis of mass-transfer processes in the bed, the history of hydrogen concentration at the outlet of the bed was numerically calculated. Previous pressure-composition-temperature (PCT) data on the Zr₃Al₂H system were correlated using a new empirical equation. Based on the newly developed analytical method, it was found that diffusion in the solid was the rate-controlling step for overall mass transfer.