Tritium in fusion: R and D in the EU

Tritium as one of the two fuel components for fusion power plays a special role in any fusion device. Due to its volatile character, radioactivity and easy incorporation as HTO it needs to be controlled with special care and due to its scarcity on earth it has to be produced in-situ in future fusion power plants. The paper discusses the present tritium R and D activities in fusion ongoing in the EU and presents the various processes/techniques envisaged for controlling tritium in future fusion reactors focusing mainly on the issues of breeding blankets and the fuel cycle in DEMO. (authors)