Isotope Assay and Quality
Before any product ships, it is assayed and certified: tritium by calorimetry and gas analysis, helium-3 for isotopic and radiopurity grade.
Measured, not estimated
A foundry's credibility rests on delivering exactly what it says it delivers. Every batch of tritium and helium-3 is assayed and certified before it leaves, so product figures are backed by measurement rather than by the design model. Assay is also the link between what the machine makes and the accountancy system that tracks it.
How tritium is assayed
- Calorimetry: measuring the decay heat gives an accurate tritium mass
- Gas analysis / mass spectrometry: composition and isotopic content
- Helium-3 content: quantifies decay-accumulated daughter to be separated
- Chemical purity: moisture and impurity levels
How helium-3 is graded
Helium-3 is certified for isotopic purity (³He vs ⁴He), radiopurity (residual tritium below the required threshold for quantum and cryogenic use), and chemical purity. Grade determines suitability: dilution-refrigeration customers require the strictest radiopurity, while some detection uses tolerate more. Each batch carries a certificate traceable to its tritium provenance.
Why assay closes the loop
Assay is what turns a design-and-simulation target into a verified quantity. The ~4 kg/yr class and ~1.97 kg/yr coproduct become real numbers only when assayed product accumulates from FOAK onward. Until then they are honest projections; assay is the discipline that will confirm or correct them. Assay carries no economic content — it certifies physical quantity and quality only.
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.