Engineering Gain (Q_eng)

Q_eng compares net electricity out to all electrical power in — the number that actually matters for a power plant. Kronos's ceiling is Q_eng ≈ 2.7.

Definition

Net electric out ÷ total electric in

Kronos ceiling

Q_eng ≈ 2.7 (hot-ion)

Net electric

0.61–0.84 GWe per unit

Enabled by

Direct energy conversion (no Carnot ceiling)

While fusion gain (Q) measures the plasma, engineering gain (Q_eng) measures the plant: net electricity delivered to the grid divided by all the electricity the plant consumes — heating, current drive, magnets, cooling, and balance of plant. It is the number that determines whether a reactor is a power source or a power sink.

Kronos MetroVolt reaches a hot-ion ceiling of Q_eng ≈ 2.7 at a net output of 0.61–0.84 GWe per unit, with the near-thermal baseline lower. The key enabler is direct energy conversion: capturing charged-particle energy without a steam cycle removes the Carnot ceiling that caps a thermal plant's conversion efficiency, lifting the whole engineering-gain equation.