2024/12/02 by Remi Delaporte-Mathurin, Rémi Delaporte-Mathurin, Delaporte-Mathurin, Remi +35 · 1 voice · 2 citations
Environmental Science · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Fusion materials and technologies #Magnetic confinement fusion research #Nuclear Experiment (nucl-ex) #Plasma Physics (physics.plasm-ph) #Radioactive contamination and transfer #nucl-ex #physics.plasm-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2412.02721
openalex publication_date 2024/12/02 · arxiv published 2024/12/02 · arxiv updated 2024/12/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
In the pursuit of fusion power, achieving tritium self-sufficiency stands as a pivotal challenge. Tritium breeding within molten salts is a critical aspect of next-generation fusion reactors, yet experimental measurements of \glstbr have remained elusive. Here we present the results of the \glsbaby experiment, which represents a pioneering effort in tritium research by utilizing high-energy (\SI14\mega\electronvolt) neutron irradiation of molten salts, a departure from conventional low-energy neutron approaches. Using a small-scale (\SI100\milli\litre) molten salt tritium breeding setup, we not only simulated, but also directly measured a \glstbr. This innovative approach provides crucial experimental validation, offering insights unattainable through simulation alone. Moreover, our findings reveal a surprising outcome: tritium was predominantly collected as HT, contrary to the expected TF. This underscores the complexity of tritium behavior in molten salts, highlighting the need for further investigation. This work lays the foundation for a more sophisticated experimental setup, including increasing the volume of the breeder, enhancing neutron detection, and refining tritium collection systems. Such improvements are crucial for advancing our understanding of fusion reactor feasibility and paving the way for future experiments.