The Cambutron: A Linear Mass Spectrometer Exploiting an Induced Hall Potential for In-Situ Self-Sustainable Deuterium Production in Fusion Reactors

摘要

This paper considers a linear mass spectrometer, dubbed the cambutron, boosted by a self-induced Hall potential which is able to work with higher pressures than a classical calutron, thereby obtaining a higher throughput and allowing isotopic separation inside an ionization chamber where deuterium and protium have been ionized due to the intense neutronic flux coming from a fusion reactor. The use of a cambutron opens up the possibility of producing significant quantities of deuterium and thus, if it is combined with the use of lithium blankets for tritium breeding, for the in-situ production of all the nuclear fuel needed by a fusion reactor.