KAERI will also be responsible for exploring methods to enable the remote processing of radioactive waste.
Tritium is also known as Hydrogen-3. It is a naturally abundant isotope which plays a key role in current technology for nuclear fusion because of the large amount of energy it can produce through carefully controlled reactions with deuterium.
Korea is among the partners in ITER project which aims to launch a full-scale demonstration fusion power plant in mid 2030s and a commercial version capable of generating at least 1,000 megawatts of electricity in the 2040s. The US, European Union member states, Japan, Russia, China and India are the other countries are involved in the ITER project.
The plant is estimated to complete in 2018, although the experiments are to be conducted for the following 20 years or additional to check the feasibility of the technology.
”KAERI winning the projects proves that our scientists have come a long way and are ready to contribute more in the advancements of nuclear fusion technology,” said Moon Hae-ju, an official from the science ministry’s science support bureau.
”Developing technologies for transporting tritium, thus creating carrying tools that offer protection from contamination, has a particularly significant meaning. This means that Korea will be deeply involved in the designing, testing and manufacturing of the tools.”
