Thermal (Steam) Cycle

The conventional heat-to-electricity cycle the breeder uses and the burner avoids.

A thermal cycle boils a working fluid to spin a turbine, converting heat to electricity at Carnot-limited efficiency. The breeder recovers its energy this way; the burner skips it with direct conversion.

The thermal cycle is mature and reliable but Carnot-limited, converting the breeder's heat to electricity at a bounded efficiency. The burner avoids it entirely with direct conversion — the single biggest reason its plant-level efficiency can exceed a conventional thermal fusion plant's.