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Physics & Fusion Science
The D–³He Reaction in Detail
How deuterium and helium-3 fuse to helium-4 and a proton — all charged, ideal for direct conversion.
- Products
- &sup4;He + p (both charged)
- Total
- 18.3 MeV
- Neutron fraction
- 5.44%
Deuterium and helium-3 fuse to a helium-4 nucleus and a proton, releasing 18.3 MeV entirely as charged particles. Because no primary neutron is produced, the energy can be recovered by direct conversion rather than a thermal cycle — the physical basis for the burner's QE = 1.31.
Side D–D reactions still emit some neutrons, giving the burner its 5.44% neutron fraction — low, but the reason Kronos says low-neutron, not aneutronic.