Prospects for toroidal fusion reactors

Journal Article · Tue Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1994 · Fusion Technology

OSTI ID:41541

Sheffield, J; Galambos, J D ^[1]

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1. Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

Work on the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) tokamak has refined understanding of the realities of a deuterium-tritium (D-T) burning magnetic fusion reactor. An ITER-like tokamak reactor using ITER costs and performance would lead to a cost of electricity (COE) of about 130 mills/kWh. Advanced tokamak physics to be tested in the Toroidal Physics Experiment (TPX), coupled with moderate extrapolation in engineering, technology, and unit costs (i.e., based on the ITER design), should lead to a COE comparable with best existing fission systems around 60 mills/kWh. However, a larger unit size, {approximately}2000 MW{sub (e)}, is favored for the fusion system. Alternative toroidal configurations to the conventional tokamak, such as the stellarator, reversed-field pinch, and field-reversed configuration, offer some potential advantage, but are less well developed, and have their own challenges.

• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 41541
• Report Number(s): CONF-940630--
• Journal Information: Fusion Technology, Journal Name: Fusion Technology Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 26; ISSN 0748-1896; ISSN FUSTE8
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
LIFE-CYCLE COST
MAGNETIC CONFINEMENT
THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS