Originally posted by Drakon:
Okay I see where we make different assumptions. For my part, I was thinking that one would use all the hydrogen and not further refine it down to individual isotopes. more fuel that way. While some reactions will occur more readily, under less pressure/temperature, as long as you can use all the hydrogen you got, regardless of isotope, the more power you will get out.
And if you have any impurities, there is a pretty good chance that you will get radiation and secondary activation. So shield your power plants anyway, just in case.
As for cleaning helium out, you are right. There has to be an exhaust vent somewhere. You might be able to recycle the He3 to boost the power out of your reactor, but you still end up with He4 and possibly Li.
So, you are right, there are specific ractions that are neutron free. But relying solely on those reactions would reduce your power output and require far more fuel processing. Not sure its worth it.