Containment concepts assessment for the SEAFP reactor

A simple methodology has been developed for making relative comparisons of potential containment designs for future fusion reactors. The assessment me thodology requires only conceptual design information. The application of t his methodology, at the early stages of a fusion reactor design, provides d esigners useful information regarding the suitability of various containmen t designs and design features. Because the radiation hazard from the operat ion of future fusion power reactors is expected to be low, the containment design, in addition to public safety, needs to take into account worker saf ety considerations, as well as factors important to the reliable and econom ical operation of the power plant. Several containment concepts have been a ssessed with a methodology that takes into account public safety, worker sa fety, operability and maintainability as well as cost. This paper describes this methodology and presents the results of the assessment. The paper con cludes that, to obtain a containment design that is optimised with respect to safety, operational and cost factors, designers should focus on a contai nment that is conceptually simple - that is, one utilising a single, large containment building without relying on special features such as expansion volumes, pressure suppression pools or spray systems. (C) 2000 Elsevier Sci ence B.V. All rights reserved.