ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Feb 2026
Jul 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2026
Nuclear Technology
February 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
January 2026
Latest News
Fusion energy: Progress, partnerships, and the path to deployment
Over the past decade, fusion energy has moved decisively from scientific aspiration toward a credible pathway to a new energy technology. Thanks to long-term federal support, we have significantly advanced our fundamental understanding of plasma physics—the behavior of the superheated gases at the heart of fusion devices. This knowledge will enable the creation and control of fusion fuel under conditions required for future power plants. Our progress is exemplified by breakthroughs at the National Ignition Facility and the Joint European Torus.
John Sheffield, Mohamed Sawan
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 53 | Number 3 | April 2008 | Pages 780-788
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST53-780
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Catalyzed D-D is the ultimate fusion cycle, because deuterium is essentially unlimited on earth. In this approach, the 3He and tritium fusion products are recycled to increase the charged particle fusion power. A difficulty with this fusion cycle is that the tritium from fusion, if left in the plasma, produces 14-MeV neutrons, leading to radiation damage comparable to that of the D-T cycle. This paper shows that the damage problems may be alleviated by removing tritium before it can burn. Fortunately, the charged particle fusion power from burning the tritium is small compared to that from the 3He and removing it from the plasma makes little difference to the plasma power balance. Ion cyclotron power might be used to pump out tritium. In this paper, we review the benefits of tritium removal, identify the issues associated with this approach, and determine illustrative parameters required for an advanced tokamak and an advanced stellarator.