Cost estimate for ITER central instrumentation and control

The Command Control and Data Acquisition (CODAC) system is responsible for the central instrumentation and control for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). Its major responsibilities include the Supervisory Control System, the Machine Control System, the Diagnostic Control System, the Data Management System, the Synchronization System, the Network and Communication System, and the Supervisory Interlock System. The basic design requirements for central instrumentation and control are high duty cycle, safe and reliable operation using robust, redundant, standardized systems, and efficient operation, both locally at the tokamak site and at remote sites. In addition, there must be near real-time access to a variety of plasma parameters. The cost estimate that has been developed depends most heavily on assumptions about (1) the total data load and the characterizations of the various types of data to be acquired, (2) the networking capacity that will be required, and (3) projections of cost/capacity trends within the rapidly changing computer industry. Projections are necessary since actual procurements related to instrumentation and control are expected to occur several years after the turn of the century