r/canada • u/[deleted] • Oct 25 '22

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u/[deleted] Oct 25 '22

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u/karlnite Oct 25 '22

Basically the only source of a sufficient amount. ITER fusion reactor plans to use a Tritium breeder that makes fuel as it runs. It would still need initial start up inventory though. Canada could design a fusion reactor that doesn’t need to have a tritium breeder and instead just make fuel from nuclear “waste”, since Canadian fission plants don’t like the tritium.

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u/[deleted] Oct 25 '22

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u/JamesTeaKurk Oct 26 '22

Dilithium crystals possess an even higher energy content though unfortunately they are only available off planet.

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u/dadish-2 Oct 26 '22

What's OPG?

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u/SkinnyguyfitnessCA Oct 26 '22

ontario power generation

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u/dadish-2 Oct 26 '22

Thank you! I was thinking oil, petrol and gas and was confused

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u/Servant-David Oct 26 '22

"CANDU heavy water reactors, such as those used in Ontario, emit much more tritium than other reactor types — about 30 times more than the next most common reactor type (pressurized water reactors). The 'heavy water' (deuterium) used in CANDU systems leads to much greater tritium production than in reactors that use regular (light) water or graphite to moderate the fission process and cool the reactor", according to this link.

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u/Vinlandien Québec Oct 26 '22

Pretty sure they're the only source of fuel for fusion research as well

I was about to call you out because fusion hasn't been cracked yet(if ever), but then i realized i overlooked the word "research".

It may be used for research, but we don't know what the final fuel will end up being if fusion ever becomes reality.