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The effects of exchange gas temperature and pressure on the beta-layering process in solid deuterium-tritium fusion fuel
It has recently been shown that when solid tritium is confined in an isothermal enclosure, self-heating due to beta decay drives a net sublimation of material from thick, warmer layers to thin, cooler ones, ultimately resulting in layer thickness uniformity. We have observed this process of beta-layering'' in a 50--50 D-T mixture in both cylindrical and spherical enclosures at temperatures from 19.6 K, down to 11.6 K. The measured time constants are found to depend on the {sup 3}He content as suggested by recent theoretical predictions. When using an enclosure having low thermal conductivity, the ultimate layer uniformity is found to be a strong function of the exchange gas pressure. This is due to the presence of thermal convection in the exchange gas and consequent temperature anisotropy at the solid layer surface. 6 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab