Physics-informed tritium fuel cycle modelling workflow for fusion reactors

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Delaporte-Mathurin, Rémi, MacDonald, Ross, Dark, James, Rother, Milan, Zulfiqar, Tasnim, Woller, Kevin B.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Delaporte-Mathurin, Rémi
MacDonald, Ross
Dark, James
Rother, Milan
Zulfiqar, Tasnim
Woller, Kevin B.
author_facet Delaporte-Mathurin, Rémi
MacDonald, Ross
Dark, James
Rother, Milan
Zulfiqar, Tasnim
Woller, Kevin B.
contents In this work, we present a multi-fidelity, physics-informed framework for tritium fuel cycle modelling based on the open-source PathSim/PathView platform. Three complementary modelling approaches are demonstrated within a unified dynamic simulation environment. First, a zero-dimensional residence time model is used to reproduce the fuel cycle behaviour of an ARC-class fusion power plant, providing a baseline system-level description. Second, an intermediate-fidelity component model based on coupled one-dimensional ordinary differential equations is developed to describe tritium mass transfer in a liquid metal bubble column reactor and validated against published literature before integration into the full fuel cycle. Finally, high-fidelity multi-dimensional tritium transport models implemented using the finite element code FESTIM are coupled directly to the system model, enabling the inclusion of multi-dimensional effects, material interfaces, and complex transport phenomena. This work demonstrates how fuel cycle components of varying physical fidelity can be combined consistently within a single, open-source framework. The proposed approach enables more physically grounded fuel cycle analyses while retaining the flexibility required for system-level studies and provides a foundation for future integration with neutronics, fluid dynamics, and surrogate modelling tools.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_25751
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Physics-informed tritium fuel cycle modelling workflow for fusion reactors
Delaporte-Mathurin, Rémi
MacDonald, Ross
Dark, James
Rother, Milan
Zulfiqar, Tasnim
Woller, Kevin B.
Plasma Physics
Applied Physics
In this work, we present a multi-fidelity, physics-informed framework for tritium fuel cycle modelling based on the open-source PathSim/PathView platform. Three complementary modelling approaches are demonstrated within a unified dynamic simulation environment. First, a zero-dimensional residence time model is used to reproduce the fuel cycle behaviour of an ARC-class fusion power plant, providing a baseline system-level description. Second, an intermediate-fidelity component model based on coupled one-dimensional ordinary differential equations is developed to describe tritium mass transfer in a liquid metal bubble column reactor and validated against published literature before integration into the full fuel cycle. Finally, high-fidelity multi-dimensional tritium transport models implemented using the finite element code FESTIM are coupled directly to the system model, enabling the inclusion of multi-dimensional effects, material interfaces, and complex transport phenomena. This work demonstrates how fuel cycle components of varying physical fidelity can be combined consistently within a single, open-source framework. The proposed approach enables more physically grounded fuel cycle analyses while retaining the flexibility required for system-level studies and provides a foundation for future integration with neutronics, fluid dynamics, and surrogate modelling tools.
title Physics-informed tritium fuel cycle modelling workflow for fusion reactors
topic Plasma Physics
Applied Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.25751