Quite right. The figure of merit for a fusion plasma is called the 'triple product' since it's the temperature, density and confinement time multiplied together.
The problem in general with pulsed systems is that they take a lot of energy to get them from idle to active, and the research machines have miniscule efficiency. The claim is often that "we'll scale this up and it'll be more efficient" but there are always unknown unknowns. Nature is a cruel mistress, especially in the fusion business.
The problem in general with pulsed systems is that they take a lot of energy to get them from idle to active, and the research machines have miniscule efficiency. The claim is often that "we'll scale this up and it'll be more efficient" but there are always unknown unknowns. Nature is a cruel mistress, especially in the fusion business.