Abstract
The energy confinement requirements for burning D-3He, D-D, or P-11B are reviewed, with particular attention to the effects of helium ash accumulation. It is concluded that the DT cycle will lead to the more compact and economic fusion power reactor. The substantially less demanding requirements for ignition in DT (the ne τE T required for ignition in DT is smaller than that of the nearest advanced fuel, D-3He, by a factor of 50) will allow ignition, or significant fusion gain, in a smaller device; while the higher fusion power density (the fusion power density in DT is higher than that of D-3He by a factor of 100 at the same plasma pressure) allows for a more compact and economic device at fixed fusion power.
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Nevins, W.M. A Review of Confinement Requirements for Advanced Fuels. Journal of Fusion Energy 17, 25–32 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022513215080
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022513215080