ELMO Bumpy Torus (EBT) reactor

The ELMO Bumpy Torus (EBT) concept has many encouraging and attractive features as a fusion reactor system. These include a high beta, magnetohydrodynamically stable equilibrium; absence of parallel currents; a large aspect ratio; the modular nature of individual sectors; no interlinking coils; ease of maintenance; steady-state operation; and economic potential. The first EBT reactor study was initiated in 1976 and provided the required starting point for continued assessment of the validity of the concept. Major refinements in plasma physics and design engineering have now resulted in a revised system description. A new design based on the present physics, practical design, and present and near-term technologies has been established. This paper discusses the details of key design elements and critical scientific and technological factors which are substantially different from other fusion reactor approaches. The paper also provides a useful summary of where the EBT program is, where it is going, and why these efforts are, in fact, self-consistent, with a motivation toward potential reactor application of EBTs