Electricity Production from a Pulsed Tokamak Fusion Reactor

Abstract

A study has been undertaken to investigate the use of a possible pulsed fusion reactor to supply the national grid. Detailed models of the individual components of a 1200 MW_e reactor plant were developed, including the reactor blanket, boiler and turbine generator. Using a drum boiler as a thermal energy store, full output could be maintained for reactor off-periods up to only 40 seconds, compared with an expected off-period for a pulsed tokamak fusion reactor of up to 300 seconds. Two possible solutions to this mis-match problem are considered, the first involving an externally fired superheater and reheater, which would allow the off-period to be extended to 105 seconds, and a second involving an auxiliary boiler, which would allow an indefinite off-period. Under these conditions, the plant and operating costs are estimated to be higher than the estimated cost of incorporating non-inductive current drive into a tokamak, and therefore the study suggests that it would be advantageous to develop a continuously operating tokamak fusion reactor, although other possible solutions relevant to the pulse operation should be further investigated.