Systems and methods employing metal foil pumps for direct internal recycling of fusion reactor exhaust plasma

A system for direct internal recycling of deuterium and tritium, comprising:

• a feed region, in fluid communication with an outlet of a torus of a fusion reactor and configured to receive plasma exhaust from the torus;
• a permeate region, in fluid communication with an inlet of a fueling system of the fusion reactor and configured to discharge treated plasma exhaust into the fueling system;
• and
• one or more metal foil pumps, configured to selectively allow hydrogen isotopes in the plasma exhaust in the feed region to permeate therethrough into the permeate region, and to selectively absorb or repel helium in the plasma exhaust such that the helium is retained in the feed region, thereby forming the treated plasma exhaust in the permeate region, at an operating temperature of about 25° C. to about 200° C.

A method for direct internal recycling (DIR) of deuterium and tritium in a fusion power plant, comprising:

• introducing plasma exhaust from a torus of a fusion reactor into a feed region of a DIR system, the plasma exhaust comprising helium and deuterium and/or tritium;
• causing the plasma exhaust in the feed region of the DIR system to contact one or more metal foil pumps of the DIR system, whereby the metal foil pumps (i) selectively allow at least a portion of the deuterium and/or tritium in the plasma exhaust in the feed region to permeate therethrough into a permeate region of the DIR system, thereby forming a treated plasma exhaust in the permeate region, and (ii) selectively absorb or repel at least a portion of the helium in the plasma exhaust in the feed region;
• and
• discharging the treated plasma exhaust from the permeate region of the DIR system into a fueling system of the fusion power plant,
• wherein an operating temperature in the DIR system is about 25° C. to about 200° C.