Impact of Technology Hazards and Regulatory Methods on Commercial Fusion Development

Abstract

The past ten years has seen a significant investment in private companies pursuing commercialization of fusion technology. The successful near-term development and deployment of fusion technology will partially depend on the ability of designers to meet regulatory requirements for safety standards. Since no clear regulations or a regulatory body exists for commercial fusion technology, the designers have an opportunity to propose an efficient pathway for licensing and regulation that protects the public health and addresses technology hazards. While fusion has widely been regarded as an inherently safe technology, current approaches to commercial fusion—specifically fuel cycles requiring radioactive tritium—have inherent hazards that must be controlled, mitigated, or eliminated. Various regulatory evaluation methods, design strategies, and analysis tools can be used to demonstrate and ensure safety but each approach will impact the technical, economic, or social feasibility of the technology. This article first discusses different regulatory evaluation methods that could be used to support the licensing of fusion technology and the potential impact of these methods on the subsequent level of regulatory oversight for commercial fusion. Second, techniques for the reduction of calculated hazard consequences by design or analysis are presented. Third, the impact of these different regulatory evaluation methods and hazard reduction techniques on design and analysis of fusion technology is reviewed. Finally, offsite hazards associated with a commercial-scale fusion facility are discussed to illustrate the need for a more detailed investigation of the hazards of commercial fusion and hazard-reducing design and analysis methodologies.