Los Alamos National Laboratory proposes extracting tritium from nuclear waste by irradiating it with a superconducting linear accelerator while the waste is surrounded by molten lithium. The irradiation would accelerate decay of uranium and plutonium isotopes and generate tritium as a byproduct. The method is claimed to potentially yield over ten times more tritium than a fusion reactor operating at the same thermal power. Producing tritium from waste could reduce long-term radioactive waste storage burdens and supply a scarce fusion fuel. Critics note that widespread fusion power remains many years away and practical deployment challenges persist.
"There are only tens of kilograms [of tritium] - both natural and artificial - on the entire planet,"
"So, where is this tritium supposed to come from?"
"produce more than ten times as much tritium as a fusion reactor at the same thermal power."
Collection
[
|
...
]