Fuel Storage and Handling

Deuterium and helium-3 are light, non-corrosive gases stored cryogenically or as hydrides; helium-3 handling is dominated by containment against loss, not radiation.

Two gases, two regimes

The burner's two fuels are both light gases, but they are handled differently. Deuterium is a hydrogen isotope and can be stored as compressed gas, as a cryogenic liquid, or absorbed in metal hydride beds that release it on gentle heating. Helium-3 is a noble gas — chemically inert, non-radioactive, and impossible to store as a hydride — so it is kept as compressed or cryogenic gas in leak-tight vessels.

The dominant concern: loss, not exposure

Helium-3 itself is not a radiological hazard — it is stable and inert. The governing concern in its handling is preventing loss. Because it is scarce and bred at a fixed rate, an accidental venting is a supply loss that cannot be quickly replaced. Systems therefore emphasize leak-tight, double-contained vessels, helium-3-specific leak detection, and closed transfer. The radiological handling that does exist sits on the breeder side, around the tritium that helium-3 comes from.

• Deuterium: compressed gas, cryogenic liquid, or metal-hydride beds
• Helium-3: leak-tight compressed or cryogenic gas (inert, no hydride)
• Helium-3 handling optimizes against loss, not against exposure
• Tritium's radiological handling is a breeder-side concern

This split keeps the burner's on-site radiological inventory small. Aegis stores and burns a mostly-clean fuel; the more demanding tritium handling stays where the tritium is made.