An Indicative Study into Vacuum Induction Melting as a Detritiation Technique for Fusion Wastes
Metal melting has been widely viewed as the most promising method for detritiating metallic waste, with its potential to release more tritium than other thermal methods. Furthermore, the homogenization of the metal post melting is expected to distribute tritium throughout the ingot, reducing hotspots in the waste form. Removing tritium from wastes is important as it makes disposing or recycling of the metal far easier. Detritiation trials conducted with stainless steel showed promising indications, with detritiation efficiencies ranging from 67% to 96%. However, the low starting activity of the charge material (<100 Bq/g) introduced high statistical variability and potential cross-contamination effects, which impacted the reliability of some data. Consequently, certain data points were discarded. Despite these challenges, the observed tritium removal highlights the potential of metal melting as an effective method for treating fusion-related metallic wastes. Future studies with higher activity samples and additional repetitions are planned to further investigate the impact of longer hold times and different crucible types on detritiation efficiency.