Optimization at the design phase of the potential impact of ITER on workers, the public and the environment

This paper presents an overview of the approach followed during the design phase of ITER to reduce and optimize the potential impact of ITER construction, operation and dismantling on workers, on the population and on the environment in normal situation. ill use and create some toxic and radiotoxic materials. Tritium will be used as part of its fuelling, and beryllium on plasma facing components. Dust will be produced in plasma operation in the vacuum vessel as well as activated corrosion products in the primary cooling circuits. Thus, small quantities of releases of the toxic and radioactive materials in the environment could not be excluded. er to ensure the compliance of ITER licensing with French regulations, the ITER design has to demonstrate that the safety of workers, the environment and members of the public is ensured following not only international regulations but also the three principles mentioned in the French Public Health Code: principles of justification of the activities, of limitation of consequences below authorised limits and of optimization. ER teams involved in the design of systems and structures have the permanent goals to ensure this compliance with French regulations in particular to reduce, as far as reasonably achievable, the impact of ITER activities on workers, the public and on the environment and to show that this meets the optimization principle. This optimization process is one of the major ITER safety challenges and has required a great effort of optimization, incorporated iteratively into the design, since the beginning. This will be notably reached through several provisions such as the adequate selection of materials, the reduction, close control and monitoring of radioactive inventories, the confinement of radioactive and toxic materials, layout and shielding design, the remote handling capability, the operating and maintenance procedures. in activities for which an optimization process is used include, but are not limited to:- ctive and toxic releases from routine operations, including maintenance, production and s internal and external exposure from tritium, beryllium and radioactive dust corrosion products. esentation will explain the different steps used for this optimization process during the ITER design phase on the basis of a few examples.