14 MeV Neutrons
Each D–T fusion reaction emits a 14.1 MeV neutron; this fast-neutron budget breeds tritium, activates isotopes, and serves as an irradiation source.
The particle that does the work
Deuterium–tritium fusion releases 17.6 MeV per reaction, split as a 3.5 MeV helium-4 (alpha) that stays magnetically confined and heats the plasma, and a 14.1 MeV neutron that escapes it. The neutron carries about 80% of the energy and, being uncharged, leaves the magnetic field and enters the surrounding structures. That escaping neutron is Hyperion's working currency.
At 85.0 MW of fusion power the neutron production rate is large and monoenergetic at birth near 14.1 MeV. This is a distinctive spectrum: fission reactors peak around 1–2 MeV, and no fission source reproduces the 14 MeV fusion peak that governs displacement damage and (n,2n), (n,α), and (n,p) reactions in fusion materials.
Three jobs for one budget
- Breed tritium via ⁶Li(n,α)T in the blanket
- Drive activation and transmutation for isotope services
- Provide a fusion-representative irradiation environment for materials
A finite budget
There is exactly one neutron per fusion event, so the products compete for the same budget. Neutrons captured for breeding are not available for external irradiation, and blanket coverage designed to maximize TBR limits open test volume. Product planning is fundamentally the allocation of a fixed neutron budget.
This page describes a design-and-simulation study, not a built machine. Construction begins Q2 2027; first-of-a-kind (FOAK) first tritium is targeted near 2030. No net-gain claim is made before FOAK.