Wall Loading & Heat Flux

Wall loading is the power per unit area the first wall must handle. Kronos's low-neutron design keeps neutron wall loading unusually gentle.

What

Power per unit area on the first wall

Kronos neutron wall loading

~0.10–0.12 MW/m²

D–T comparator

~2.0–2.5 MW/m²

Consequence

Longer wall life, less damage

Wall loading is the power flux — power per unit area — that a reactor's first wall must absorb, and it sets how fast the wall heats, erodes, and accumulates radiation damage. Neutron wall loading in particular drives material damage and component lifetime, so a lower number translates directly into a longer-lived, cheaper-to-run plant.

Here the Kronos low-neutron choice shows up as a strikingly gentle number: a neutron wall loading of roughly 0.10–0.12 MW/m², against something like 2.0–2.5 MW/m² for a D–T comparator. That order-of-magnitude reduction is why the MetroVolt first wall is expected to last the full 30 full-power-years without replacement — and a direct contributor to the plant's availability and cost advantage.