AN OVERVIEW OF SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS IN THE SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR FUSION FACILITIES

Safety and environmental considerations can play a large role in the s election of fusion materials. In this paper, we review the attributes of different structural, plasma facing, and breeding materials from a safety perspective and discuss some generic waste management issues as they relate to fusion materials in general, Specific safety concerns exist for each material that must be dealt with in fusion facility des ign, Low activation materials offer inherent safety benefits compared with conventional materials, but more work is needed before these mate rials have the requisite certified databases. In the interim, the Inte rnational Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) has selected more conventional materials and is showing that the safety concerns with th ese materials can be addressed by proper attention to design, In the a rea of waste management disposal criteria differ by country, However, the criteria are all very strict making disposal of fusion components difficult. As a result, recycling has gained increasing attention.