TRITIUM CONCENTRATION IN MONTHLY PRECIPITATION NEAR THE FUSION TEST FACILITY IN JAPAN BEFORE AND AFTER THE DEUTERIUM PLASMA EXPERIMENT.

ABSTRACT

In Japan, the deuterium plasma experiment using the Large Helical Device was started at the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS) in March 2017 to investigate high-temperature plasma physics and hydrogen isotope effects in research leading towards the realisation of fusion energy. The deuterium plasma experiment produces small amount of tritium by fusion reactions. To understand any impacts by the experiment to the surrounding environment, monthly precipitation samples have been collected at the NIFS site since November 2013 to assess the relationship between isotope composition and chemical species in precipitation including tritium. By comparing data before and after the deuterium plasma experiment start, it was found that tritium released from the main stack of the fusion test facility had no impact on the environment surrounding NIFS.