Electrical Loads and Power Systems for the DEMO Nuclear Fusion Project

Simone Minucci, Stefano Panella, Sergio Ciattaglia, Maria Carmen Falvo and Alessandro Lampasi
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Simone Minucci: Department of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organization, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Stefano Panella: Department of Astronautics, Energy and Electrical Engineering, University of Rome Sapienza, 00184 Rome, Italy
Sergio Ciattaglia: EUROfusion Consortium, 85748 Garching bei München, Germany
Maria Carmen Falvo: Department of Astronautics, Energy and Electrical Engineering, University of Rome Sapienza, 00184 Rome, Italy
Alessandro Lampasi: National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), 00044 Frascati, Italy

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 9, 1-21

Abstract: EU-DEMO is a European project, having the ambitious goal to be the first demonstrative power plant based on nuclear fusion. The electrical power that is expected to be produced is in the order of 700–800 MW, to be delivered via a connection to the European High Voltage electrical grid. The initiation and control of fusion processes, besides the problems related to the nuclear physics, need very complex electrical systems. Moreover, also the conversion of the output power is not trivial, especially because of the inherent discontinuity in the EU-DEMO operations. The present article concerns preliminary studies for the feasibility and realization of the nuclear fusion power plant EU-DEMO, with a special focus on the power electrical systems. In particular, the first stage of the study deals with the survey and analysis of the electrical loads, starting from the steady-state loads. Their impact is so relevant that could jeopardy the efficiency and the convenience of the plant itself. Afterwards, the loads are inserted into a preliminary internal distribution grid, sizing the main electrical components to carry out the power flow analysis, which is based on simulation models implemented in the DIgSILENT PowerFactory software.

Keywords: balance of plant; DEMO; electric loads; nuclear fusion; plasma; power flow; power supply; power systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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