Radioactive Waste Management of Fusion Power Plants

This chapter outlines the attractive environmental features of nuclear fusion, presents an integral scheme to manage fusion activated materials during operation and after decommissioning, compares the volume of fusion and fission waste, covers the recycling, clearance, and disposal concepts and their official radiological limits, and concludes with a section summarizing the newly developed strategy for fusion power plant

Conference of Soviet and American Jurists on the Law of the Sea and the Protection of the Marine Environment

Included in the papers for the Conference of Soviet and American Jurists on the Law of the Sea and the Protection of the Marine Environment: Introduction by Milton Katz and Richard R. Baxter, p. 1 Freedom of Scientific Research in the World Ocean by A.F. Vysotsky, p. 7 The International Law of Scientific Research in the Oceans by Richard R. Baxter, p. 27 Responsibility and Liability for Harm to the Marine Environment by Robert E. Stein, p. 41 Liability for Marine Environment Pollution Damage in Contemporary International Sea Law by A. L. Makovsky, p. 59 Protection of the Marine Environment from Pollution by Richard A. Frank, p. 73 The Freedom of Navigation and the Problem of Pollution of the Marine Environment by V. A. Kiselev, p. 93 The Freedom of Navigation Under International Law by William E. Butler, p. 107 International Fisheries Management Without Global Agreement: United States Policies and Their Impact on the Soviet Union by H. Gary Knight, p. 119 Some Biological Background for International Legal Acts on Rational Utilization of the Living Resources of the World Ocean by P. A. Moiseev, p. 143 An International Regime for the Seabed Beyond National Jurisdiction by Thomas M. Franck, p. 151 Settlement of Disputes Under the Law of Ocean Use, with Particular Reference to Environmental Protection by John Lawrence Hargrove, p. 18

A bibliometric description of lignin applicability for the removal of chemical pollutants in effluents

Several industrial sectors produce tons of effluents daily containing a high amount of hazardous chemical pollutants that pose a major threat to the environment and human health. Current wastewater treatment methods, such as flocculation and activated carbon adsorption, have drawbacks linked to high material cost and too much energy consumption. Thus, the search for renewable, biodegradable, and efficient materials has been the object of research aimed at replacing the conventional materials used to cheapen processes and reduce environmental impacts. Lignin stands out in this context as it has low cost and high availability. Therefore, several scientific researches were developed to harness the potential of lignin, especially as adsorbent, for the removal of chemical agents from effluents. This paper presents a bibliometric review performed on the Scopus database, showing the evolution of studies related to the applicability of lignin in the removal of chemical pollutants in waters over the last five years. Data regarding annual publications, languages, journals, countries, institutions, keywords, and subjects were analyzed. The realized screening selected 130 articles that met the previously defined criteria. Results indicated a strong collaboration between countries and China's substantial contribution to the documents. The analysis also has shown that lignin is mainly used as adsorbent material, sorbent, flocculant agent, and hydrogel and presents important results and information for future researchers on this topic.The authors acknowledge financial assistance from the Brazilian research funding agencies such as CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel) under Finance Code 001, a Brazilian foundation within the Ministry of Education (MEC), CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development), a Brazilian foundation associated to the Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT), and FAPITEC/SE (the Foundation of Support to Research and Technological Innovation of the State of Sergipe).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Tritium safety of fusion power plants

Tritium systems of a nuclear fusion plant, using the deuterium-tritium fuel cycle, has to ensure tritium safety during plant operation, and activated/tritiated materials management, during plant decommissioning. Accidents resulting in tritium releases to the environment may occur. It is important, therefore, to minimize the mobile tritium inventory by means of an adequate design and optimization of the plant tritium-bearing systems. Furthermore, the behaviour of tritium in the environment must be accurately studied, in order to take into account its oxidation and absorption by different materials. An experimental tritium-breeding module of DEMO fusion reactor is now under development in Russia. We plan to test it in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). The ceramic lithium orthosilicate will be used in it as tritium breeder. The Tritium Cycle System (TCS) will ensure tritium extracting and processing of gaseous mixtures containing tritium. The report contains the flow chart of the TCS using alloys producing hydrides. TCS assures highest possible autonomy and independence on ITER tritium plant at technological operations. The classification of the TCS modes of operation, adopted at the present stage of the module development, is described. The main initial events that may result in accidents are analysed. The maximum design accident and its consequences are considered. In particular, the maximum effective dose equivalent to the most exposed individual is calculated by means of the GEN II/FRAMES code. The flow sheet of technological operations at the maintenance and repair works and the System of Radiological Safety ensuring safety during these works is analyzed. Finally, some aspects of tritium decontamination from standpoint of waste handling are developed. In particular, material detritiation should be sufficient to allow clearance and recycling of less activated fusion materials

Requirements to refabrication of vanadium alloys used in fusion reactors and their experimental realization

Requirements to refabrication of vanadium alloys used in fusion reactors and their experimental realizatio

Urinary Tract Drainage Selection in Case of Pyelonephritis in Pregnant Women

The article presents an analysis of the treatment results of 1122 patients with pyelonephritis in pregnancy at different gestational periods (from 6 to 39-40 weeks of pregnancy). The age of the patients was from 16 to 41 years, the average age was 26.15 ± 7 years. The indications and methods of urinary tract drainage in pregnant women were analyzed depending on the causes of urodynamic disturbances (kidney stone disease, decreased urinary tract tone, ureters compression by the uterus, vesico-urethral reflux) pregnancy term; pyelonephritis in pregnancy stage (serous/ purulent). Errors in the patients’ management after purulent pyelonephritis in pregnancy are considered. The expediency of examining and treating patients with risk factors for urinary tract infections during pregnancy were indicated at the stage of preparing a woman for pregnancy. Antegrade draining of the urinary tract is indicated for pregnant women from the 31st pregnancy week (and even shorter periods with a pronounced violation of urodynamics) with the presence of knee-shaped deviation in the ureter`s upper third and with suspected purulent process. Therefore, nephrostomy draining provides a more adequate outflow of urine from the affected kidney and makes it possible to control daily diuresis. It is necessary to conduct active monitoring of pregnant women with the presence of internal ureteral stents and their timely replacement. It is advisable to remove the drainage 3-4 weeks after birth, depending on the causes of the urodynamics` disorders. Symptom build-up dynamics, severity of intoxication, multi-organ lesion, the possibility of antenatal death of the fetus require urgent choice of the method of urinary tract drainage and the early initiation of intensive therapy in patients with suspected purulent process. Antimicrobial therapy should be carried out in accordance with the Russian guidelines on Urinary tract infections.TThe study did not have sponsorship. The authors have declared no conflicts of interest

Tritium safety of fusion power plants

Tritium systems of a nuclear fusion plant, using the deuterium-tritium fuel cycle, has to ensure tritium safety during plant operation, and activated/tritiated materials management, during plant decommissioning. Accidents resulting in tritium releases to the environment may occur. It is important, therefore, to minimize the mobile tritium inventory by means of an adequate design and optimization of the plant tritium-bearing systems. Furthermore, the behaviour of tritium in the environment must be accurately studied, in order to take into account its oxidation and absorption by different materials. An experimental tritium-breeding module of DEMO fusion reactor is now under development in Russia. We plan to test it in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). The ceramic lithium orthosilicate will be used in it as tritium breeder. The Tritium Cycle System (TCS) will ensure tritium extracting and processing of gaseous mixtures containing tritium. The report contains the flow chart of the TCS using alloys producing hydrides. TCS assures highest possible autonomy and independence on ITER tritium plant at technological operations. The classification of the TCS modes of operation, adopted at the present stage of the module development, is described. The main initial events that may result in accidents are analysed. The maximum design accident and its consequences are considered. In particular, the maximum effective dose equivalent to the most exposed individual is calculated by means of the GEN II/FRAMES code. The flow sheet of technological operations at the maintenance and repair works and the System of Radiological Safety ensuring safety during these works is analyzed. Finally, some aspects of tritium decontamination from standpoint of waste handling are developed. In particular, material detritiation should be sufficient to allow clearance and recycling of less activated fusion materials