Search

ITER will produce radioactive waste during its operation (arising from the replacement of components and from process and housekeeping waste) and during decommissioning. The waste concerns components that are activated by neutrons of energies up to 14 MeV, and are contaminated by activated corrosion products, activated dust and tritium. Even if the nuclear waste production will start only with the deuterium-deuterium phase, provisions have to be taken now with the design of the ITER facilities that will be used for the treatment and interim storage of the waste, in order to demonstrate that all the ITER waste will be safely manageable with the existing outlets. This demonstration also needs to be provided to the French regulator.

Test Blanket Systems (TBS) will be operated in ITER in order to prepare the next steps towards fusion power generation. After the initial operation in H/He plasmas, the introduction of D and T in ITER will mark the transition to nuclear operation. The significant fusion neutron production will give rise to nuclear heating and tritium breeding in the in-vessel part of the TBS. The management of the activated and tritiated structures of the TBS from operation in ITER is described. The TBS specific features like tritium breeding and power conversion at elevated temperatures, and the use of novel materials require a dedicated approach, which could be different to that needed for the other ITER equipment.