The Burner Reflector Liner

A reflective liner that returns escaping radiation, central to the burner's power balance.

Role

Radiation return

Trade

Reflectivity vs activation

The D–³He burner lines its central cell with a reflective material to return radiation to the plasma, improving the power balance. The liner's reflectivity is a deciding parameter for net power, and its material must balance that against neutron activation.

Kronos flags the copper-versus-activation tension in the liner choice explicitly rather than assuming an ideal reflector.