pilot plant

American

noun

an experimental industrial plant in which processes or techniques planned for use in full-scale operation are tested in advance.

pilot plant British

noun

a small-scale industrial plant in which problems can be identified and solved before the full-scale plant is built

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of pilot plant

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Fervo has already built a small pilot plant in Nevada with 3.5 megawatts of capacity, or enough for a few thousand homes.

From Barron's

At a pilot plant, Boston Metal, which previously received money from ARPA-E, also relies on electricity to separate and purify iron.

From Science Magazine

Electra expects to open a new pilot plant in 2025.

From Science Magazine

The project, which kicked off in 2022, is working on a pilot plant that's due to be operational in the first half of this year - though it's hit some difficulties.

From BBC

In the coming years there are plans for a pilot plant somewhere in Europe.

From Science Daily

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023