Enhanced tritium production for fusion reactors via3He(n, p)3 H in the heavy water moderator of a CANDU reactor

Abstract

There is an increasing requirement for tritium to supply the fuel needs of current experimental fusion devices and in the initial startup of future power generating reactors. Tritium is produced in heavy water reactors through deuterium activation, but the total production capacity of Canadian operated CANDUs will fall short of future demands, during the period before and for some time after self-sufficient reactors become available. Consequently, methods of enhancing tritium generating rates warrant investigation. Herein we provide the results of an inquiry into the feasibility of enhancing tritium production levels through the activation of helium-3 following its external addition to the heavy water moderator system of a hypothetical 500–600 MWe CANDU reactor. The approach adopted involves simulation of the temporal evolution of the tritium activities, originating from2H(n,γ)3H and3He(n, p)3H, as described by a simple first order kinetic model. The results suggest that the frequent addition of helium-3 to the moderator water will enhance tritium production inventories. The enhancement factor is highly dependent upon the rate at which helium-3 irretrievably escapes to the moderator cover gas. However, the direct activation of helium-3, contained in a closed loop such as the annulus gas system, for example, would be essentially complete within a few weeks without any significant loss.