Partially Catalyzed Deuterium And Tritium-Assisted Plasma Characteristics

Partially catalyzed deuterium (PCD) fuel cycles and their sensitivity to ash buildup, radiation losses, T_i/T_e. and ₃He consumed are investigated. The study is machine independent, using a simple zero-dimensional steady-state model. The PCD fuel cycles include semi-catalyzed-deuterium where only a fraction of the ₃He fuses and tritium-catalyzed-deuterium where ₃He extracted from the plasma is converted into tritium, which is reinjected. Also considered is tritium-assisted operation where a fraction of the fusion neutrons is used to produce tritium, which is added to the PCD plasma. The PCD and tritium-assisted operation is shown to be attractive for certain nonelectrical applications. They avoid 3He recirculation required for catalyzed-deuterium (Cat-D) operation and enable simplified blanket designs. The ignition temperature, n_eт, and power density of PCD plasmas are very energy-balance sensitive, but under certain conditions these properties can be comparable or superior to those of Cat-D. Cyclotron radiation losses can significantly impair, whereas tritium assistance can strongly improve, PCD performance.