8–12 Jun 2026
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Campus north
Europe/Berlin timezone

Adapting the D1S Methodology for High-Fluence Fusion Environments with Tungsten: application to ITER

11 Jun 2026, 10:20
20m
FTU (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Campus north)

FTU

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Campus north

Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen
Oral Geometry, radiation transport, activation, multiphysics tools. Neutronics Tools, Nuclear Data and Workflow Integration

Speaker

Alberto Bittesnich (ATG Europe (F4E))

Description

The decay of radioactive nuclides activated during the operation of nuclear fusion reactors represents one of the main safety concerns, leading to worker exposure during shutdown and maintenance phases as well as damage to critical electronics. For this, safety demonstrations of fusion reactors like ITER require a precise assessment of the Shut Down Dose Rate (SDDR). In recent years, the Direct-1-Step (D1S) methodology has been the most used due to its much greater computational speed compared to the Rigorous-2-Step (R2S) approach. However, when the assumptions underlying the D1S methodology no longer hold, e.g. when multi-step decay reactions occur in materials like tungsten, alternative approaches must be investigated. This work aims to explore and develop possible adaptations of the D1S methodology for the specific case of the ITER reactor, where tungsten (W) has been introduced as the First Wall (FW) material. The activation of tungsten triggers multi-step decays that make the standard D1S unusable for accurate In-Vessel SDDR calculations. The objective is to propose a modified methodology that maintains the advantages of D1S while ensuring the necessary accuracy for ITER's radiological safety, and to evaluate and understand the impact of FW material replacement on In-Vessel SDDR.

Formatted abstract uploaded? Done.

Author

Alberto Bittesnich (ATG Europe (F4E))

Co-authors

Mr Alfredo Portone (Fusion for Energy) Mr Aljaz Kolsek (Fusion for Energy) Mr Antonio Jesus Lopez-Revelles (UNED) Marco Fabbri (Fusion For Energy) Mr Neil Taylor Mr Patrick Sauvan (UNED)

Presentation materials