[en] We would like to illustrate the cost variation for different gradients of a possible LAMPF linac extension, assuming a normalconducting structure

[en] Reducing costs is a clear priority in nuclear markets where capital reaches billions and financing is hard-won. To address that priority, AECL introduced the use of advanced construction techniques. This has been one of the key thrusts behind its development of CANDU 9. (author)

[en] New free electron laser (FEL) technology at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) promises electron-cyclotron plasma heating at power levels, cost efficiency, and tunable frequency range far beyond the capabilities of existing technology. LLNL has the high-current induction linear accelerators needed to drive such an FEL. Thus, the first stage of the Microwave Tokamak Experiment (MTX), designed to test this new technology, was to bring the Alcator-C tokamak across the United States from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to LLNL in California. The authors discuss why the tokamak was moved across the country and described the move

[en] A level playing field in sports is necessary to avoid a situation in which a team has an unfair advantage over its competition. Similarly, rules and guidelines for developing cost estimates can be established which, in effect, provide a level playing field whereby cost estimates for advanced power plant concepts can be presented on a consistent and equitable basis. As an example, consider the capital costs shown in Table 1. Both sets of cost are for the exact same power plant; Estimate 1 is expressed in constant dollars while Estimate 2 is presented in nominal or as-spent dollars. As shown, the costs in Table 1 are not directly comparable. Similar problems can be introduced as a result of differing assumptions in any number of parameters including the scope of the cost estimate, inflation/escalation and interest rates, contingency costs, and site location. Of course, the motivation for having consistent cost estimates is to permit comparison among various concepts. As the U.S. Department of Energy sponsors research and development work on several advanced reactor concepts in which expected cost is a key evaluation parameter, the emphasis in this particular endeavor has been in promoting the comparability of advanced reactor cost estimates among themselves and to existing power plant types. To continue with the analogy, the idea is to lay out the playing field and the rules of the contest such that each team participates in the match on an equal basis with the final score being solely determined by the inherent strengths and abilities of the teams. A description of the playing field and some of the more important rules will now be provided

[en] This document records the assumptions under which the ITER Fuel Systems cost estimates were prepared. These are order of magnitude estimates, obtained without flow sheet or detailed equipment analysis by applying factors, ratios, and escalation to the known cost of an installation considered to be similar. The estimates include equipment and installation costs for each component. (5 figs., 16 refs.)

[en] The authors present an analytical comparison of five INTOR-like designs completed as part of the INTOR Workshop effort. The five designs include INTOR, NET, FER, TIBER, and OTR. The purpose of the study was to provide a quantitative information base to determine the specific impact of how different choices affect a design. Calculations were performed to demonstrate the ability to benchmark the designs, to examine sensitivities to various design choices, and to examine relative capital costs

No abstract available

[en] The possibilities for substitution of several contact pre-deposition procedures by one technological step have been investigated with the aim of improving solar cell performance and reduction of the corresponding production cost. Growth of a low-resistance buffer layer on the surface of a CdTe based solar cell is interesting not only from a practical point of view but also concerning the structural and compositional changes introduced in the CdS-CdTe heterostructures. Information about the electrical properties of the layers involved is presented and discussed with respect to the further extension of this method. (author)

[en] In the first of what it says will be annual cost-of-capital proceedings to set returns on equity and rates of return on rate base for electric utilities, the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) lowered from 1989 levels the 1990 returns on common equity (ROE) and rates of return (ROR) for the state's four major investor-owned electric utilities. Under this fast-track procedure, by May 8 of every year, utilities will have to file an application for rate adjustments that reflect their projected costs of capital for the following year

[en] Smaller size reactors are going to be an important component of the worldwide nuclear renaissance. However, a misguided interpretation of the economy of scale would label these reactors as not economically competitive with larger plants because of their allegedly higher capital cost (dollar/kWe). Economy of scale does apply only if the considered designs are similar, which is not the case here. This paper identifies and briefly discusses the various factors which, beside size (power produced), contribute to determining the capital cost of smaller reactors and provides a preliminary evaluation for a few of these factors. When they are accounted for, in a set of realistic and comparable configurations, the final capital costs of small and large plants are practically equivalent. The Iris reactor is used as the example of smaller reactors, but the analysis and conclusions are applicable to the whole spectrum of small nuclear plants. (authors)