Treatment and disposal of radioactive waste from a fusion power reactor

As part of the Safety and Environmental Assessment of Fusion Power project (SEAFP) two studies on activated waste management based on present practices and new perspectives for fusion waste have been performed by Studsvik RadWaste AB and JRC Ispra, respectively. German and Swedish practices and principles for classification, management, and final disposal of radioactive fission waste were used in the Studsvik study as a basis for a fusion waste management strategy. Results from the study include primary waste quantities, required repository volumes and doses to man from repositories with fusion waste. The waste management strategy proposed in the Ispra study envisages interim storage at the reactor site, then, depending on the residual radioactivity, the adoption of three alternative options: declassification to non-active waste, recycling and disposal of the remaining waste. Both studies show the advantages of adopting low activation materials.