Plasma-Facing Components (PFCs)

PFCs are the materials that directly face the plasma — first wall and divertor. They must survive extreme heat, particles, and radiation.

What

Components facing the plasma (first wall, divertor)

Loads

Heat flux, particle bombardment, radiation

Kronos first wall

Laser-fused hafnium carbide (HfC)

Reflectivity role

R_wall = 0.90 for synchrotron recycling

Plasma-facing components (PFCs) are the materials on the front line — the first wall and the divertor targets that directly face the plasma. They endure some of the harshest conditions in any engineered system: intense heat flux, bombardment by escaping particles, and neutron and photon radiation, all for the operating life of the plant.

Kronos MetroVolt uses a first wall of laser-fused hafnium carbide (HfC), chosen both for its endurance and for a high reflectivity (R_wall = 0.90) that recycles synchrotron radiation back into the plasma. Because the design is low-neutron, its PFCs face far less material damage than a neutron-heavy D–T machine would impose.