Recycling of Vanadium Alloys in Fusion Reactors

The feasibility of reprocessing a vanadium alloy after its use as a structural material in a fusion reactor, in order to enable its subsequent hands-on recycling within the nuclear industry, has been determined. For less neutron-exposed components, clearance of materials has also been considered. A conceptual model for the radiochemical processing of the alloy has been developed and tested experimentally. Using di-2-ethyl-hexyl-phosphoric acid it is possible to purify the components of the V–Cr–Ti alloy after its exposure in a fusion reactor down to the required level of activation product concentrations