July 25, 2023
An important aspect to ensure the safety of nuclear fusion power plants is the prompt and accurate detection of any possible tritium leakages, which can pose serious health risks due to the ionizing radiation emitted during its decay. However, common detection methods such as a liquid scintillation counter or an ion chamber cannot be performed in real time, and more importantly, cannot pinpoint the exact location of a tritium leak. Compared to many traditional sensors, optical sensors have significant advantages due to their immunity to electromagnetic noise, flexible deployment, inexpensive nature, and opportunities for distributed sensing. This work aims to leverage these advantages to create a tritium area sensor that can be deployed to detect and pinpoint tritium leaks over large areas.