Steel detritiation, optimization of a process

In the framework of waste management for the ITER reactor, steel detritiati on is an important challenge since nuclear waste storage already assigns an d plans limited tritium contents. A study has been initiated to determine a detritiation process drawing on a melting process currently used on a semi -industrial scale at the CEA/DAM (Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique/Directi on des Applications Militaires). The first part of the project consists in characterizing these ingots. The measurements performed at the CNRS ORSAY ( Centre National de Recherche Scientifique), permit to assess, by autoradiog raphy, tritium distribution in two directions (longitudinal and transverse) and to measure tritium desorption using an original beta counting device. The second part of the project should allow us to assess the possibility of improving the process in terms of detritiation rates using bubbling argon and hydrogen during melting to improve mixing, and thus facilitate the remo val of tritium. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.