Metal-Hydride Systems for Processing Hydrogen Isotopes for Power Plants

We consider the main approaches and designs of using metal hydrides in supply systems of vacuum power plants with hydrogen isotopes as a working medium. By analyzing the results of investigations and developments in this field, we show that the most promising method is connected with the creation of multifunctional metal-hydride elements, which are a part of the structural units of the working zone of a vacuum chamber (e.g., the electrodes of a device supporting plasma) and are made of hydride-forming materials that are reversible absorbers of low-pressure hydrogen. In this case, in addition to the complex solution of auxiliary problems of compact storage, purification, and programmed bleeding-in of hydrogen isotopes into the vacuum chamber of a power plant, efficient pumping-out and improved operation of the plant as a whole can be ensured in certain cases.