Environmental and Safety Assessment of LIBRA-SP: A Light Ion Fusion Power Reactor Design

LIBRA-SP is a 1000 MWe light ion beam power reactor design study. The reactor structure is made of a low activation ferritic steel and uses LiPb as a breeder. The total activities in the blanket and reflector at shutdown are 721 MCi and 924 MCi, respectively. Hands-on maintenance is impossible anywhere inside the reactor chamber. The biological dose rates near the diode are too high at all times following shutdown allowing only for remote maintenance. The blanket and reflector could qualify for disposal as Class C low level waste. The dose to the maximally exposed individual in the vicinity of the reactor site due to the routine release of tritium is about 2.39 mrem/yr. Ten hours after a loss of coolant accident, the reflector produces a whole body (WB) early dose at the site boundary of 253 mrem. The blanket would produce a WB early dose of 8.91 rem. The potential off-site dose produced by the mobilization of LiPb during an accident is 142 mrem. A 100% release of the vulnerable tritium inventory present in the containment at any moment results in a WB early dose of 459 mrem. Release of the vulnerable tritium inventories present in the target factory and fuel reprocessing facility during an accident would result in WB early doses of 1.3 and 0.95 rem, respectively.