Revision of the inventory and recycling scenario of active material in near-term PPCS models

摘要

A sound approach to the recycling of fusion irradiated material is being developed. Study of industry experience, and consideration of realistic processing routes and techniques, provide a more sensible estimation of recycling feasibility than earlier studies based on purely radiological criteria. Under this approach, the analysis of active material in two models of the power plant conceptual study (PPCS) has been revised in more detail and accounting for the latest design features, nuclear data and international guidelines. A careful inventory of the materials has been performed, and estimation made of the radiological characteristics of all PPCS tokamak components, for the first time studying individual constituents and materials. Evaluation has been made of time scales for the radioactivity to decay to predetermined levels, which represent the spectrum of technological difficulties posed by the nature of the irradiated material. Three main mechanisms for the optimization of the materials management strategy have been identified during the assessments: segregation of components into individual materials, in situ refurbishment and stringent impurity control.