Management of tritium-contaminated wastes at the ethel facility: Future trends for routine management practices and experimental research activities

In the frame of JRC's 1984–1987 Fusion Technology Programme and with the aim of contributing to tritium R&D for NET, the Commission of the European Communities decided in July 1985 to construct the European Tritium Handling Experimental Laboratory (ETHEL) on the site of the Ispra Establishment. ETHEL is a facility designed to handle a maximum inventory of 100 g tritium. Its detailed design study was started in January 1987 and its commissioning is foreseen for end 1989 - beginning 1990. Being well aware of the lack of an efficient, economic and safe technology in the field of tritiated waste management, extensive laboratory research on tritiated waste treatment, conditioning and containment inside multibarrier systems, has been proposed by the research staff of the Ispra Establishment as one of the experimental activities to be performed at ETHEL. Current practices to be applied for routine management of tritiated waste generated during the normal ETHEL operations, as well as objectives of the experimental research that the JRC staff specifically intend to perform in the field of tritiated waste management strategy, are described.