Safety Comparison of Fusion Fuel Cycles

Abstract

Potential safety advantages are achievable through the use of advanced fuel cycles, which eliminate the need to breed and fuel tritium, and produce fewer neutrons. In this work, the operational radiological hazards associated with the deuterium-tritium (DT), deuterium-deuterium (DD) and deuterium-helium-3 (DHe) fusion fuel cycles have been compared. The advanced fuels have a clear advantage over the DT fuel cycle in terms of tritium hazard. In terms of activation and waste disposal hazards, the operational safety advantages of the advanced fuels are less clear, and appear to be strongly material dependent.