Status of the the Lithium Tokamak eXperiment (LTX)

LTX is a modest spherical tokamak with R=0.4 m, a=0.26 m, and $\kappa $=1.5. Design targets are a toroidal field of 3.2 kG, plasma current up to 400 kA, and a discharge duration of 100 msec. LTX is the first tokamak designed to investigate modifications to equilibrium and transport when global recycling is reduced to 10 -- 20{\%}. LTX is fitted with a heated (up to 500 C) shell, conformal to the last closed flux surface, over 85{\%} of the plasma surface area. The plasma-facing surface of the shell will be evaporatively coated with a thin ($<$ 100 micron) layer of molten lithium, retained by surface tension. A second shell has been constructed, and plasma-sprayed with molybdenum as a high-Z substrate for the lithium. LTX is thus the first tokamak designed to operate with a full hot high-Z wall. First operation with a liquid lithium film wall is scheduled for Summer 2010; results will be presented.