Safety Aspects of the Next European Torus

Abstract

An outline of Next European Torus safety and its impact on the environment is presented. Included are a short characterization of the basic safety approach, current radiological recommendations, and the potential hazards due to tritium, neutron-induced radioactivity, and energy inventories. Significant accidents that could be initiated and propagated by these energies and finally lead to releases of radioactivity are characterized by typical initiating events such as after-heat under loss-of-cooling conditions and ruptures of blanket components. The environmental impact of releases is dealt with by reporting experimental results on tritium behavior in the environment as well as by broadly quantifying tritium dispersion and activation product releases under both routine and accidental conditions. Finally, the categories of wastes produced, their approximate amounts, and a strategy for their final disposal are presented.