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How can a lithium blanket in a fusion reactor help produce tritium fuel?

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laser-activated fusion — nuclear fusion Interior of the U.S. Department of Energy's National Ignition Facility (NIF), located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California. The NIF target chamber uses a high-energy laser to heat fusion fuel to temperatures sufficient for thermonuclear ignition. The facility is used for basic science, fusion energy research, and nuclear weapons testing.

In a deuterium-tritium (D-T) fusion reactor, the lithium blanket serves as a critical component for fuel self-sufficiency by capturing neutrons produced during the fusion process.1

When deuterium and tritium nuclei fuse, they release a high-energy neutron. Because this neutron lacks an electric charge, it is unaffected by the magnetic fields used to confine the plasma and escapes into the surrounding material, known as the lithium blanket. Within this blanket, the captured neutrons react with lithium to produce tritium (and alpha particles). This process is essential because tritium does not occur naturally in significant quantities and must be generated artificially.123

By utilizing these waste neutrons to breed more fuel, D-T fusion reactors are able to recycle their own by-products to sustain the fusion reaction. The heat generated within the lithium blanket during this process is also captured and converted into electrical energy using conventional methods like steam-driven turbines.1