Chemical and radiological properties of tritium - DOE-HDBK-1141-2001

Radiological Assessor Training

DOE-HDBK-1141-2001

Student's Guide

B. Chemical and radiological properties of tritium

1. Chemical forms

Elemental tritium (tritium gas, HT, DT, T2)

Tritiated water (tritium oxide, HTO, DTO,

T2O)

Special tritium compounds (STCs):

created by intentional combination of

tritium with the desired materials or by

inadvertent contamination of a material

that has been subjected to the presence of

tritium for a period of time.

These are classified in a number of ways,

depending on their host material (metal or

organic), rate of tritium release (stable or

unstable), and physical form (particulate or

non-particulate). They include:

Organically bound tritium (OBT); the

main types of OBT encountered in the

DOE complex are solvents, oils, and

solid particulates (e.g., plastics, nylon,

and organic dust forms).

Particulates; stable or insoluble forms

are referred to as stable tritiated

particulates (STPs).

Module 7 - 2