Status of the Accelerator Production of Tritium (APT) project

Abstract

Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen used in all United States nuclear weapons. Because the half-life of tritium is short, 12.3 years. it must be periodically replaced. To provide a new source, the United States Department of Energy is sponsoring conceptual design and engineering development and demonstration activities for a plant that will use a high-power proton linear accelerator to produce tritium. This paper presents an overview of activities planned or underway to support that work.