Abstract:
In preparation for the EU DEMO study which is now underway, a wide range of options have been explored with a systems code, PROCESS. These include the possibility of pulsed or steady-state devices, with different blankets and coolants, and a range of other detailed assumptions, for instance about magnets and current drive efficiency. These studies, along with others, were used to narrow down the choices to the parameters that are now being assumed for the DEMO technology studies, although they are likely to evolve further as the studies progress. This paper summarises aspects of these studies and the benefits and trade-offs inherent in the range of options that were studied. Of particular interest is the way that a pulsed concept, more conservative than a steady-state device in many parameters, can be improved by the addition of increasing amounts of current drive power, as it is gradually evolved towards a steady-state device.
