Methodology

In spite of the fact that we do not yet know how a fusion reactor will be constructed, or even if it is at all possible, detailed calculations have been made on the COE based on the reactor models described in the previous section. The work of Ward et al. [27], which we will summarize here, is based on the European PPCS designs. Their calculated costs for each component of a power plant compare well with those from the ARIES studies in the USA. Being a renewable power source, fusion shares with wind, solar, and hydro the benefit of essentially zero fuel cost. However, the capital cost is large. A breakdown is given by Ward [28] in Fig. 9.41. The capital cost of the tokamak power core is almost as large as that of the balance-of-plant, which is the power conversion system and electrical generators shown in Fig. 9.34. Compared with fossil fuel plants, the capital cost and replacement of blankets and divertors take the place of fuel costs. These fusion-specific costs depend on the reactor model. The models A, B, C, and D in Fig. 9.39 range from ITER-like primitive designs with steel chambers and water cooling to speculative advanced designs with Pb-Li liquid cooling and SiC/SiC first walls. Computer programs are used to calculate the costs of each component under different assumptions.