The application of systems engineering principles to the European DEMO design and R&D studies

The European Fusion Roadmap [1] shows the DEMO concept design phase commencing in 2014. The early implementation of systems engineering principles within the EU DEMO programme is essential to provide a framework for achieving this long-term mission. The aim of the systems engineering approach is to clearly define and justify the research and development (R&D) necessary to deliver a credible EU DEMO concept design by 2020 that will meet the agreed DEMO system requirements. The approach will lead to increased efficiency in the deployment of limited R&D resources and will facilitate the necessary discussion and agreement amongst stakeholders. Furthermore, it will enable transparent prioritisation of the required R&D for the strategically important technologies for DEMO. A systems decision process (SDP) is presented that provides a systematic, objective and traceable method for evaluating DEMO technologies and designs according to their capability to meet the top-level system criteria for the overall DEMO plant. Two preliminary examples where this approach should be applied are discussed: (i) the choice of primary coolant and (ii) the extension of pulse duration through auxiliary current drive.