Fusion regulatory support is provided by the FSP to the Department of Energy (DOE) and the international fusion community. Our efforts under this task include defining regulatory issues for conceptual fusion designs and studying the regulatory aspects of:
- public safety,
- personnel safety,
- stewardship of the environment.
During the 1980s and 1990s, the FSP prepared several Environmental Assessments for fusion experiment designs led by the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. An example of these assessments is the Preliminary Safety Analysis Report that we created for the Tokamak Physics Experiment (TPE).
In the mid-1990s the FSP took the lead responsibility for the DOE Office of Fusion Energy Science to develop safety guidance for magnetic fusion. The FSP coordinated this multi-lab activity and produced the DOE standards listed below:
- DOE-STD-6002-96, Safety of Magnetic Fusion Facilities: Requirements
- DOE-STD-6003-96, Safety of Magnetic Fusion Facilities: Guidance
- DOE-STD-6004-99, Supplementary Guidance and Design Experience for the Fusion Safety Standards DOE-STD-6002-96 and DOE-STD-6003-96
We were also a key player in helping to guide the development of a regulatory strategy for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) during the Engineering Design Activities phase of that project.
The FSP continues to monitor the evolution of federal regulations as well as DOE directives and standards that pertain to:
- waste disposal and management,
- public and personnel exposures to tritium, beryllium, and other materials of fusion interest,
- public evacuation planning,
- other issues germane to the power production industry and radiological facilities.
Lastly, we provide interpretation of rules and standards for the fusion community. An example of such interpretation is our May 2001 review of the proposed DOE handbook on radiological control programs for special tritium compounds. Currently we are reviewing chemical release impacts to workers, the public, and the environment.
- Technical inquiries:
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David A. Petti, Ph.D., (208) 526-7735, Send E-mail
Kathryn A. McCarthy, Ph.D., (208) 526-9392, Send E-mail