Patent ID: 8201465

Claim:
A method for sampling tritium in the water vapor in the air by cold trap, of the type comprising a first step of condensing the water vapor of the air by cooling over a part ( 4 ) of the cold trap ( 2 , 4 ) and a second step of recovering the ice formed in the preceding step in the form of condensation liquid, wherein the air is contained in a sampling device ( 1 ) making it possible to eliminate the water from the sampled air, said sampling device being an enclosure ( 1 ) of the movable type for portability of the sampling device, said part ( 4 ) of the cold trap ( 2 , 4 ) is located in the sampling device, a first step comprising actuating, for a determined duration, the cold trap ( 2 , 4 ) which is brought to a temperature below 0 deg. C. through coolant circulating inside said part of the cold trap, so as to form ice on said part ( 4 ) of the cold trap, and a second step comprising warming said part ( 4 ) of the cold trap by stopping the cooling by the cold trap ( 2 , 4 ) and making air circulating in said part during warming, and recovering the condensation liquid formed by the thawing of the ice.