Electron Beam Solenoid reactor concept

The Electron Beam Heated Solenoid (EBHS) reactor is a linear magnetically confined fusion device in which the bulk or all of the heating is provided by a relativistic electron beam (REB). The high efficiency and established technology of the REB generator and the ability to vary the coupling length make this heating technique compatible with several radial and axial energy loss reduction options including multiple-mirrors, electrostatic and gas end-plug techniques. This paper addresses several of the fundamental technical issues and provides a current evaluation of the concept. The enhanced confinement of the high energy plasma ions due to nonadiabatic scattering in the multiple mirror geometry indicates the possibility of reactors of 150 to 300 meter length operating at temperatures >; 10 keV. A 275 meter EBHS reactor with a plasma Q of 11.3 requiring 33 MJ of beam energy is presented.