H‑D Analysis Employing Low-Pressure microjoule Picosecond Laser- Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Zener Sukra Lie, †,⊥ Marincan Pardede, ‡ Eric Jobiliong, § Hery Suyanto, ∥ Davy Putra Kurniawan, ⊥ Rinda Hedwig, † Muliadi Ramli, # Ali Khumaeni, × Tjung Jie Lie, ⊥ Koo Hendrik Kurniawan,* ,⊥ Kiichiro Kagawa, ⊥,○ and May On Tjia ⊥,$ † Department of Computer Engineering, Bina Nusantara University, 9 K. H. Syahdan, Jakarta 14810, Indonesia ‡ Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Pelita Harapan, 1100 M. H. Thamrin Boulevard, Lippo Village, Tangerang 15811, Indonesia § Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Pelita Harapan, 1100 M. H. Thamrin Boulevard, Lippo Village, Tangerang 15811, Indonesia ∥ Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Udayana University, Kampus Bukit Jimbaran, Denpasar 80361, Bali, Indonesia ⊥ Research Center of Maju Makmur Mandiri Foundation, 40/80 Srengseng Raya, Jakarta 11630, Indonesia # Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Syiah Kuala University, Darussalam, Banda Aceh 23111, Indonesia × Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Diponegoro University, Tembalang, Semarang 50275, Indonesia ○ Fukui Science Education Academy, Takagi Chuou 2 Choume, Fukui 910-0804, Japan $ Physics of Magnetism and Photonics Group, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Bandung Institute of Technology, 10 Ganesha, Bandung 40132, Indonesia ABSTRACT: An experimental study is conducted in search of the much needed experimental method for practical and minimally destructive analysis of hydrogen (H) and deuterium (D) in a nuclear power plant. For this purpose, a picosecond (ps) Nd:YAG laser is employed and operated with 300−500 μJ output energies in a variety of ambient gases at various gas pressures. The sample chamber used is specially designed small quartz tube with an open end that can be tightly fitted to the sample surface. It is found that ambient Ar gas at reduced pressure of around 0.13 kPa gives the best spectral quality featuring fully resolved H and D emission lines with clearly detectable intensities and practically free from surface water interference. The D emission intensities measured from zircaloy plates containing various concentrations of D impurity are shown to yield a linear calibration line with extrapolated zero intercept, offering its potential application to quantitative analysis. The estimated detection limit of less than 10 ppm is well below the sensitivity limit of around 600 ppm required for the regular inspection of zircaloy tubes in a heavy water nuclear power plant. The use of the exceedingly low laser energy is shown to offer an additional advantage of minimum destructive effect marked by the resulted tiny craters of about 5 μm diameter with 25 μm depth. These results promise the potential development of the desired alternative analytical tool for regular in situ and real time inspection of the zircaloy tubes in a heavy water power plant. T he large and unique advantages offered by nuclear energy are so far unmatched by other alternative new energy sources in meeting the pressing demand for large-scale and high-efficiency energy supplies. 1 Inspite of the rare and isolated nuclear accidents that happened in the past, many new nuclear power plants are being built and on the drawing board for their realization in the near future. These new power plants are generally designed with largely improved safety control and many of them employ the heavy water moderator for economic benefit. Meanwhile, there remains one long-standing problem to be tackled for enhancing the efficiency of the reactor operation. In a nuclear power reactor, the uranium fuel is contained in zircaloy tubes which are immersed in a water tank. During the operation of the reactor, hot water reacts with the zircaloy at its surface to form zirconium oxide and hydrogen or deuterium gas which readily penetrates into and accumulates in Received: January 20, 2017 Accepted: April 10, 2017 Published: April 10, 2017 Article pubs.acs.org/ac © XXXX American Chemical Society A DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b00245 Anal. Chem. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX