Neutronic Performance of Heavy Water Slurries as D-T Reactor Blankets

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 a computer study and related experimentation are reported here, along with a brief discussion of the preliminary material selection process. The numerical and experimental work done indicates a heavy water slurry can breed and retain with the solid particles sufficient tritium to fuel a D-T reactor.