Maintenance Duration Estimate for a DEMO Fusion Power Plant, based on the EFDA WP12 pre-conceptual studies

TL;DR

This paper estimates the maintenance duration for a DEMO fusion power plant, emphasizing the importance of remote handling operations affected by erosion and neutron flux, to optimize design and operational efficiency.

Contribution

It introduces a tool for estimating maintenance durations based on component design, aiding in balancing costs and plant availability.

Findings

Maintenance duration is critical for plant availability.

Component design impacts remote handling time.

A new estimation tool supports design optimization.

Abstract

The erosion and high neutron flux in a fusion power plant results in the need for frequent remote replacement of the plasma facing components. This is a complex and time consuming remote handling operation and its duration directly affects the availability and therefore the commercial viability of the power plant. A tool is needed to allow the maintenance duration to be determined so that developments in component design can be assessed in terms of their effect on the maintenance duration. This allows the correct balance to be drawn between component cost and performance on the one hand and the remote handling cost and plant availability on the other.