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Helium-3 to be extracted from Canadian tritium

Thursday, 16 September 2021

Tritium stored at Canada's Darlington nuclear power plant will be a source of helium-3 for applications in quantum computing, medicine and security. Laurentis Energy Partners plans to extract and commercialise the isotope from the end of this year.

Helium-3 to be extracted from Canadian tritium — Don Perrie of Ontario Power Generation at the controls of the new helium-3 extraction tool (Image: Laurentis)

"By increasing the supply of this rare isotope, we can help save lives, advance high-tech industries and expand the frontiers of science," said Jason Van Wart, vice president of Laurentis.

The company is currently installing "a new custom-designed tool" at Darlington to extract helium-3. It intends to "develop a long-term commercial agreement ... to further refine and distribute the helium-3 to customers around the world in healthcare, security and advanced research."

"We are especially proud to be the first civilian, non-military source of helium-3," said Van Wart. Laurentis is a subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation, which owns and operates Darlington, a four-unit power plant producing 3512 MWe around 100 kilometres east of Toronto.

Helium-3 is a non-radioactive stable gas with a wide range of applications. It is used in security monitors at ports worldwide to detect radioactive materials; in science and quantum computing it is used to cool equipment to temperatures close to absolute zero; it is needed by particle accelerators; and as a stable and non-radioactive gas, it can enhance magnetic resonance imaging of the lungs.