Supply and recovery of hydrogen isotopes in high vacuum systems using ZrNi hydride getter pumps

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Abstract
In order to supply and recover hydrogen isotopes in small high vacuum systems, reversible pumps using ZrNi hydride as a getter material have been developed. Since the PC isotherms for the ZrNi–hydrogen system have two different plateau pressures corresponding to the existence of mono- and trihydrides, it is possible for the getter pumps to have two different equilibrium pressures. Because of the rapid decomposition kinetics of ZrNi hydride, these getter pumps are fast and consume little electric energy to supply hydrogen isotopes to high vacuum (HV) systems, e.g., it requires only 3.8 Wh and 150 s from onset of heating to supply 240 Torr liter (200 Torr×1.2 liter) D2 gas. One of the significant features of this getter pump is that, once activated, the gettering action proceeds at room temperature. Using a combination of two ZrNi hydride getter pumps having two different equilibrium pressures, it is possible to recover hydrogen isotopes completely from HV systems, e.g., 10 Torr D2 gas in a 1.2 liter glass HV system, can be pumped to 1×10−4 Torr within 200 s.

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