Helium-3 Supply and the Deuterium-Helium-3 Fuel Cycle: Why the Loop Does Not Close Indigenously
Abstract
The helium-3 half of the breeder fuel cycle: helium-3 bred as a co-product of surplus-tritium decay at equilibrium, distinct from bulk fuel supply. The 12.3-year tritium half-life makes the breeder's decay-sourced helium-3 far too slow to fuel a burner fleet, so burner-scale helium-3 is lunar-gated; the breeder's helium-3 is a strategic co-product with national-security, cryogenic, and quantum value. Physics and logistics; no strategic value claims.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Nuclear reactor physics and engineering
Fusion materials and technologies
Cold Fusion and Nuclear Reactions
Publication details
- Journal / source
- OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints)
- Publication date
- 28 August 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Preprint