Experimental Verification of Tritium Breeding Performance of Simulated Aqueous Slurries

An aqueous slurry of heavy water and lithium containing solids was examined to assess its merits as the tritium breeding, neutron attenuating, and heat removing portion of a first generation D-T fusion reactor. The results of experimentation and a related computer study are reported here. The numerical and experimental work done indicates a heavy water slurry can breed and retain within the solid particles sufficient tritium to fuel a D-T reactor. Experimental results reported here indicate that the LiF will retain tritium for a period of several days at room temperature. Tritium recoil losses were up to 30% higher than predicted. Tritium release rates from the heated solids were low up to 525°C, but increased rapidly above that temperature.