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The DTF reaction. Deuterium–tritium fusion (DTF) is a type of nuclear fusion in which one deuterium (2 H) nucleus (deuteron) fuses with one tritium (3 H) nucleus (triton), giving one helium-4 nucleus, one free neutron, and 17.6 MeV of total energy coming from both the neutron and helium.
Consequently, the deuterium-tritium fuel cycle requires the breeding of tritium from lithium using one of the following reactions: 1 0 n + 6 3 Li → 3 1 T + 4 2 He 1 0 n + 7 3 Li → 3 1 T + 4 2 He + 1 0 n. The reactant neutron is supplied by the D-T fusion reaction shown above, and the one that has the greatest energy yield.
Inside this is the fusion fuel, usually a form of lithium deuteride, which is used because it is easier to weaponize than liquefied tritium/deuterium gas. This dry fuel, when bombarded by neutrons, produces tritium, a heavy isotope of hydrogen that can undergo nuclear fusion, along with the deuterium present in the mixture.
The one benefit of using only deuterium is that unlike many other fusion candidates (especially tritium), Earth’s oceans and atmosphere contain a lot of the isotope, also known as heavy water ...
On 21 December 2021, JET produced 59 megajoules using deuterium-tritium fuel while sustaining fusion during a five-second pulse, beating its previous record of 21.7 megajoules with Q = 0.33, set in 1997. [28] [40] In October 2023, JET set its final fusion energy record, producing 69.29 megajoules over 6 seconds from only 0.21 mg of D-T fuel.
Tritium (from Ancient Greek τρίτος (trítos) 'third') or hydrogen-3 (symbol T or 3 H) is a rare and radioactive isotope of hydrogen with a half-life of ~12.3 years. The tritium nucleus (t, sometimes called a triton) contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus of the common isotope hydrogen-1 (protium) contains one proton and no neutrons, and that of non-radioactive hydrogen ...
ITER will use deuterium-tritium fuel. While deuterium is abundant in nature, tritium is much rarer because it is radioactive with a half-life of just 12.3 years and there are only about 3.5 kg of natural tritium on earth. [139] Owing to this tiny supply of tritium, an important component for testing on ITER is the breeding blanket. This ...
At the temperature created by fission in the core, tritium and deuterium can undergo thermonuclear fusion without a high level of compression. The fusion of tritium and deuterium produces a neutron with an energy of 14 MeV—a much higher energy than the 1 MeV of the neutron that began the reaction. This creation of high-energy neutrons, rather ...