4 ms·
Fusion plants also need to absorb the neutrons coming out of the reactor and secure themselves a supply of tritium for their reaction. The most common solution
by Symmetry 4y ago
Fusion plants also need to absorb the neutrons coming out of the reactor and secure themselves a supply of tritium for their reaction. The most common solution is to do all three with a blanket of molten lithium that can absorb neutrons and heat from the reaction, transmute into tritium, and go through a heat exchanger with water to heat it up.
- willis936 4y agoLithium fission also releases a nice bit of energy.
- robocat 4y agoLithium fission would be into Hydrogen and Helium - definitely not releasing energy. Do you mean that Lithium fusion with a proton or neutron releases energy?
- willis936 4y agoNo I do mean fission. Li-6 fission releases 4.8 MeV. Li-7 fission consumes 2.466 MeV. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium#Production https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium#Production There's a lot of lithium being mined for batteries. Just centrifuge out Li-6 or isolate it with some other clever means. Not much is needed for fusion fuel compared to industrial scale consumers of lithium and it's a healthy boost to heat output.
- ncmncm 4y agoMolten lithium would interfere with your magnetic containment. You need a diamagnetic like LiH. Extracting tritium from a thousand tons of radioactivated lithium hydroxide at PPB concentration is left as an exercise for the ambitious reader. Good luck.
- ncmncm 4y ago(Lithium hydride, not hydroxide.) Other neutron absorbers are contemplated, but extracting tritium from them on PPB concentration is no easier.