Example applications, electric waste

Thermal power plant is more commonly associated with very large central power stations. The capital cost for thermal power plant, in terms of cost per installed kilowatt of electrical generating capacity, rises sharply for outputs of less than some 15 MW. It is for this reason that thermal power plant is not usually considered for industrial applications unless it is the combined cycle or combined heat and power modes. However, for cases where the fuel is of very low cost (for example, a waste product from a process such as wood waste), then the thermal power plant, depending on output, can offer an excellent choice, as its higher initial capital cost can be offset against lower running costs. This section introduces the thermal power cycle for electrical generation only. 

In 1996, PNL estimated that a 100-ton-per-day facility using 0.06/kWh of electricity would cost approximately 125 per ton. Wastes with some energy content can be processed at much lower costs. For example, ash with high carbon content may cost less than 50 per ton to process. There is also the possibility that the waste form produced could be sold as construction materials or for some other application to offset processing costs (D126034). 

Potential fusion applications other than electricity production have received some study. For example, radiation and high temperature heat from a fusion reactor could be used to produce hydrogen by the electrolysis or radiolysis of water, which could be employed in the synthesis of portable chemical fuels for transportation or industrial use. The transmutation of radioactive actinide wastes from fission reactors may also be feasible. This idea would utilize the neutrons from a fusion reactor to convert hazardous isotopes into more benign and easier-to-handle species. The practicality of these concepts requires further analysis. 

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