A pilot plant must retire six risks to earn its name
A credible pilot must connect confinement to materials, fuel, maintenance, heat conversion and repeatable operation. The weakest interface can define the whole machine.
Topic
Materials
Fusion materials under heat, particles, stress and irradiation, including qualification, lifetime, joining and inspection.
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The reactor is only the beginning
Fusion will be won or lost by the industrial platform surrounding the machine: materials, drivers, magnets, diagnostics, fuel, manufacturing, regulation and talent.
The materials problem is the strategy
The first wall, blanket and high-heat-flux components are not supporting details. They set the possible lifetime of a fusion plant.