The status of beryllium technology for fusion

Beryllium was used for a number of years in the Joint European Torus (JET), and it is planned to be used extensively on the lower heat-flux surfaces o f the reduced technical objective/reduced cost international thermonuclear experimental reactor (RTO/RC ITER). It has been included in Various forms i n a number of tritium breeding blanket designs. There are technical advanta ges but also a number of safety issues associated with the use of beryllium . Research in a variety of technical areas in recent years has revealed int eresting issues concerning the use of beryllium in fusion. Progress in this research has been presented at a series of International Workshops on Bery llium Technology for Fusion. The most recent workshop was held in Karlsruhe , Germany on 15-17 September 1999. In this paper, a summary of findings pre sented there and their implications for the use of beryllium in the develop ment of fusion reactors are presented. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All r ights reserved.