Advanced management concepts for fusion waste

Abstract This paper presents fusion waste management studies carried out under the long-term actions on Safety and Environment of the European Fusion Technology Programme. The fusion-specific strategy proposed here aims at reducing the permanent radioactive waste. Recycling is the solution investigated for in-vessel materials, which have high activation levels. Limits on surface dose limits define the feasibility of recycling by remote handling and by hands-on operation. The feasibility of clearance for materials having lower activation levels, is assessed with limits of the concentration of the radionuclides contained in the waste, weighting their respective potential hazard. This strategy is applied to two power reactor designs: PM-1, PM-2, representing advanced solutions or moderate progress on present technologies. It is shown that the amount of permanent radioactive waste can be reduced by recycling and clearance in both designs, but with significant advantages in the case of PM-1.