Reliability and Availability Analysis of Fusion Power Plants

Major efforts are underway to develop fusion energy for use in electric power production in the furture. While fusion reactor concepts are being developed, appropriate attention must be given to problems relvant to the utility requirements which are likely to be encountered in the commercialization phase. In this paper the expected fusion plant availability is assessed in detail due to the importance of power plant availability in the commercialization of the use of any energy source. The reliability and availability of fusion plants are analyzed by using the PREP, KITT–1, and KITT–2 codes (1). Analysis of computer output yields the availability of 82–82.9 percent for a fusion power plant under investigation during one year operation by assuming that there would be two schedule outages for first wall replacement. Also, Exploration of those components which are prone to failure and which may increase the change for forced failures is made.