Steady-State Operation

A power plant must run continuously, not in pulses. Kronos reaches steady state with a high bootstrap fraction plus non-inductive current drive.

Why

A grid generator must run continuously

Obstacle

The central solenoid gives only a finite pulse

Kronos path

High bootstrap + non-inductive current drive

Fractions

f_BS 0.59–0.78, f_NI 0.61–0.81

Steady-state operation means running the fusion plasma continuously, indefinitely — as a power plant must — rather than in the finite pulses that a central solenoid alone can provide. Sustaining the plasma current without relying on the transformer's limited flux swing is the central requirement.

Kronos MetroVolt reaches steady state by supplying most of its current from the self-generated bootstrap (f_BS = 0.59–0.78) and topping up the rest with non-inductive current drive (total f_NI = 0.61–0.81 at 62 MW). Designing for a high bootstrap fraction is what makes continuous operation affordable — every ampere the plasma drives itself is an ampere the plant doesn't have to power, which is why the current budget is priced so carefully.