Fusion Message Board

In this space, visitors are invited to post any comments, questions, or skeptical observations about Philo T. Farnsworth's contributions to the field of Nuclear Fusion research.

Subject: Re: Tritium sources
Date: Jun 15, 12:31 pm
Poster: Jim Lux

On Jun 15, 12:31 pm, Jim Lux wrote:

So, scavenging appears to be out of the question (kind of thought it might be, but, you never know)... And, the price of the lights provides a ballpark figure for how much a few Ci of T will cost. Presumably, one goes to a supplier of T (DOE, I imagine, here in the US, although with NAFTA, can you go to a Canadian supplier?) and gets a license for research purposes, then buys it in whatever form it is distributed in. Is this a "specialty gas" kind of item like D2, or is it more exotic.

It seems like for practicality, you might want to get it hydrided onto a substrate like they do for hydrogen/deuterium thyratrons. Then, you could put the hydride into the fusor and heat it to release the T when you need it. Saving yourself the hassle of plumbing, leak valves, leaks, etc. The hydride might also be more easily licensed, etc. (although I suspect that with NRC licensing, it is the first step that is the big one... once you've jumped through the hoops to get "anything" radioactive, differences in form result in small changes in hassle level.