Abstract
The European Tritium Handling Experimental Laboratory (ETHEL) at JRC-Ispra is constructed within the ESSOR reactor complex and is therefore required to be consistent with the existing site license agreement. This paper summarizes the status of ETHEL under the Italian licensing legislation and focuses, in particular, on the problem of tritium discharges under routine conditions. First, the available margins for additional tritium releases from the ESSOR complex are established by taking into account the existing operational requirements. The discharge requirements of ETHEL are then estimated by analyzing the various in-plant routes by which tritium may be released to the environment under normal operation conditions. An analysis is also undertaken for assessing the radiological impact on the population due to exposure and ingestion pathways. It is shown that the expected gaseous releases and tritiated aqueous discharges comply comfortably with the existing site limits and the fraction available for ETHEL.
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