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Environmental and Economical Assessment of Various Fusion Reactors by the Calculation of CO₂ Emission Amounts

Satoshi UEMURA, Kozo YAMAZAKI, Hideki ARIMOTO, Tetsutarou OISHI and Tatsuo SHOJI

Department of Energy Engineering and Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603, Japan

(Received 15 January 2009 / Accepted 7 August 2009 / Published 26 March 2010)

Abstract

We compared the CO₂ emissions of several fusion reactors. The magnetic confinement systems evaluated here are the tokamak reactor (TR), helical reactor (HR), and spherical tokamak reactor (ST). These models are calculated by the Physics-Engineering-Cost (PEC) code. The inertial confinement fusion reactor (IR) is also evaluated, assuming its driver energy and driver efficiency. In addition, different blanket modules and fuels are considered in the TR designs. To calculate life-cycle CO₂ emission from fusion reactors defined by plasma parameters and radial build, we used a basic unit for CO₂ weights (kt-CO₂/t-material). Calculation results indicate that CO₂ is emitted mainly in the construction stage of superconducting magnet systems for magnetic confinement fusion reactors. For the IR design, the driver system construction and pellet fabrication stages involve considerable CO₂ emission. By comparing fusion reactors with other electric power generation systems in terms of CO₂ emission, we confirmed that fusion reactors emit less CO₂. Therefore, introducing a carbon tax has little effect on the economics of fusion reactors, and the cost of electricity (COE) from fusion reactors might be lower than that of oil-fired electric power plants when a carbon tax of around several hundred yen/t-CO₂ is introduced.

Copyright (c) 2010 The Japan Society of Plasma Science and Nuclear Fusion Research

Keywords

tokamak reactor (TR), helical reactor (HR), spherical tokamak reactor (ST), inertial confinement fusion reactor (IR), blanket, CO₂ emission amount, cost of electricity (COE)

DOI: 10.1585/pfr.5.S1027

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This paper may be cited as follows:

Satoshi UEMURA, Kozo YAMAZAKI, Hideki ARIMOTO, Tetsutarou OISHI and Tatsuo SHOJI, Plasma Fusion Res. 5, S1027 (2010).