The burner's own D-D reactions breed helium-3 directly in the plasma — about 1.1 x 10^19 nuclei per second at the reference point. It is a real makeup credit, but a partial one, and the design carries it as such rather than claiming self-sufficiency.
One branch of the D-D reaction produces helium-3. In the burner this breeds helium-3 at roughly 1.1 x 10^19 per second at the reference point — a genuine in-plant source. But it is a makeup credit, not an inventory solution: the reference solve does not even credit it back into the fuel mix, keeping the ledger conservative.
In-situ breeding reduces, but does not eliminate, the burner's external helium-3 dependence. Carrying it as an uncredited partial makeup — rather than as a path to fuel independence — keeps the supply story honest and the external bet clearly stated.
| In-plant He-3 breeding | ~1.1 x 10^19 /s (reference) |
| Channel | D-D reaction branch |
| Status | partial makeup credit |
| Credited to fuel mix? | no (conservative) |
| Effect | reduces, not removes, external need |