Laker TRF | Our benefits
Safe, reliable tritium removal technology.
A scalable solution
With Laker TRF, safe tritium removal is scalable to any volume, as the packing and internal column diameter is constant and identical to the R&D test column.
Simple to build and operate
Less complex with fewer pieces of rotating equipment, the Laker TRF system is quick to build and easy to operate. The skills required are equal to the operation of a CANDU® heavy water upgrader, while full automation reduces the required number of staff.
A reliable alternative
Thanks to the absence of maintenance-prone liquid distributors and minimal moving parts our AWD process delivers unprecedented reliability resulting from our stainless-steel, high-efficiency packing design.
Affordability
With Laker TRF, Detritiation costs are offset by multiple revenue streams
• Pure T2 and/or H3
• Medical Isotopes Oxygen-18 and Oxygen-17
• At end of a power station’s life, all tritiated heavy water can be detritiated to virgin quality, turning a liability into an asset worth more than the cost of the TRF
Enhanced worker safety
An AWD TRF operates under vacuum eliminating any chance of tritiated air release to the environment.
• The process uses no hydrogen or pure oxygen, eliminating risk due to explosion hazards
• AWD also lowers CANDU® moderator 14C production, reducing dose rates to workers.
Maintenance-reducing design
AWD uses super-hydrophilic activated packing and Khun-style columns to reduce column height by 70% when compared to existing CANDU® heavy water upgrader columns. Our design replaces traditional pumps with fluidic pumps with no moving parts eliminating the need for maintenance-prone liquid distributors.
Energy efficiency
Since AWD uses heat pumps, the Laker TRF system uses about 1/3 the electrical power of other tritium removal technologies resulting in lower operating costs and environmental benefits.
Oxygen-18 (Medical imaging) Isotopes:
Laker TRF’s AWD design can incorporate a mid-process take-off of water, enriched in heavy oxygen isotopes.
Oxygen-18 functions as a precursor for the medical radioisotope Fluorine-18 used for PET (positron emission tomography) scanners. A 100 kg/h AWD TRF can produce 750 kg of Oxygen-18, supplying approximately 30% of current global production.
Current world production is approximately 2,500 kg/year, and the global demand is growing exponentially.