Not enough Tritium to run a fusion reactor for a year ..

[weltweit]

Apparently Tritium is ideal for fusion, but there is not enough tritium in the world to power a fusion reactor for a single year. And, it is fabulously expensive. Apparently it has a half life of just 12 years which sounds good.

But there may be a way of making tritium from lithium.

Just thought you would like to know

 

[MikeMcc]

It's one of the major aspects of the process that's going to be checked out with ITER. IIRC there's going to be capacity to store upto 24kg of Tritium on site, given that 24kg of Tritium doesn't exist at the moment they are clearly considering producing some!

 

[Combustible]

The production of tritium from lithium is a fairly well known process so it's not exactly a major problem. I believe the plan in fusion reactors is to cover the inside of the pressure vessel with a 'blanket' containing lithium so tritium will continuously be produced. Remember there probably wasn't enough plutonium in the world to build a single nuclear bomb yet that didn't stop us producing a hell of a lot of it for both nuclear reactors and weapons.

 

[Santino]

Sorry, which Star Trek episode was this?

 

[MikeMcc]

Here you go, details on Tritium stocks here...


http://www.fusion.ucla.edu/ITER-TBM/ITER-TBM2/Tritium%20Supply%20Considerations.ppt

 

[bi0boy]

It's like saying we can't build a space elevator because there aren't enough suitably sized carbon nanotubes in the world.

 

[weltweit]

It does seem that fusion is dependent on a lot of unobtainiums

As I understand it, it also helps to have Helium 3, a substance that is found more on the moon than on the earth. Though on the earth it is found in Nuclear ICBMs, what a lot of good that is!

 

[DotCommunist]

Can't we map a cetacean mind to a harvester/lifter robot refinery and have the engineering marvel sing mournful songs of seas far lost as it harvests HE3 from Jupitrs upper atmosphere?

and if not, why not. Come on boffins. Laziness becomes no one

 

[Combustible]

It does seem that fusion is dependent on a lot of unobtainiums

How is it an unobtainium if we can currently produce it?

 

[weltweit]

How is it an unobtainium if we can currently produce it?

Well as I understand it we could produce helium 3 also but it is apparently very impractical.

 

[Combustible]

Helium-3 is widely used in scientific research now. But helium 3 has been proposed as a possible fusion source but it is not the most likely fuel for initial fusion plants. They are going to use deuterium and tritium. The former is readily available and the latter can be produced from lithium and other things.

 

[Dr Jon]

Helium-3 is widely used in scientific research now. But helium 3 has been proposed as a possible fusion source but it is not the most likely fuel for initial fusion plants. They are going to use deuterium and tritium. The former is readily available and the latter can be produced from lithium and other things.

The Indians are planning to get Helium-3 from the moon!