ESSENTIAL
Environmental and Safety Studies on Emerging Nuclear Technologies

Fusion energy will be obtained with nuclear apparatuses bearing with them a radioactive inventory. They share some of the safety problems of fission reactors, however at a different level of severity. The analyses of accident scenarios in fusion machines show that the release of radioactive substances (tritium or activated components), however improbable, may not be excluded. Production of high-level waste is unavoidable too, although a correct choice of structural materials permits its minimization. Safety problems in fusion machines are small, however not negligible. They must be faced well in advance their construction. The solution of these problems is ESSENTIAL for the social acceptability and therefore the success of fusion power.

RESEARCH AREAS:

  • Radiation protection and nuclear safety.
  • Modeling of tritium transport at component and system level.
  • Nuclear fusion reactor technologies.
  • Experimental activities.