Abstract:
This report provides the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the
public with information on the level of radioactive and
non-radioactive pollutants (if any) that are added to the
environment as a result of Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory's
(PPPL) operations. The results of the 2016 environmental
surveillance and monitoring program for PPPL's are presented and
discussed. The report also summarizes environmental initiatives,
assessments, and community involvement programs that were undertaken
in 2016.
PPPL has engaged in fusion energy research since 1951. The vision of
the Laboratory is to create innovations to make fusion power a
practical reality - a clean, alternative energy source. 2016 marked
the eighteenth year of National Spherical Torus Experiment and the
first year of NSTX-U (Upgrade) operations. The NSTX-U Project is a
collaboration among national laboratories, universities, and
national and international research institutions and is a major
element in the US Fusion Energy Sciences Program. Its design tests
the physics principles of spherical torus (ST) plasmas, playing an
important role in the development of smaller, more economical fusion
reactors. NSTX-U began operations after its first upgrade that
installed the new center stack magnets and second neutral beam,
which would allow for hotter plasmas and greater field strength to
maintain the fusion reaction longer. Due to operational issues with
a poloidal coil, NSTX-U operated briefly in 2016.
In 2016, PPPL's radiological environmental monitoring program
measured tritium in the air at the NSTX-U Stack and at on -site
sampling stations. Using highly sensitive monitors, PPPL is capable
of detecting small changes in the ambient levels of tritium. The
operation of an in stack monitor located on D-site is used to
demonstrate compliance with the National Emission Standard for
Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs) regulations. Also included in
PPPL's radiological environmental monitoring program, are water
monitoring - ground and surface, and waste waters. PPPL's
radiological monitoring program characterized the background levels
of tritium in the environment; the data are presented in this
report.
Ground water monitoring continued under the New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection's Site Remediation Program. PPPL monitored
for non-radiological contaminants, mainly volatile organic compounds
(components of chlorinated degreasing solvents). In 2016, PPPL was
in compliance with its permit limits for surface and sanitary
discharges, excepting two elevated chlorine-produced oxidant
concentration. PPPL was honored with awards for its waste reduction
and recycling program, and its "EPEAT" electronics purchasing for
the third consecutive year