29-Jul-2025
The complex relationship between fusion fuel and lithium walls
Princeton UniversityPeer-Reviewed Publication
To bring fusion power to the grid, researchers will need to know how to make the most of tritium, a rare fusion fuel. A new study provides insights into what is responsible for trapping most of the tritium that winds up embedded in the walls of doughnut-shaped fusion systems known as tokamaks. Conducted in the tokamak known as DIII-D, the research found that the dominant driver of fuel retention is co-deposition: the trapping of fuel alongside lithium that is added during plasma operation, as well as lithium that is eroded and subsequently redeposited.
- Journal
- Nuclear Materials and Energy
- Funder
- DOE/US Department of Energy, DOE/US Department of Energy, DOE/US Department of Energy, DOE/US Department of Energy, DOE/US Department of Energy, DOE/US Department of Energy, DOE/US Department of Energy, EUROfusion