Melting a rock
April 6, 2016
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0:57Now PlayingMelting a rock
YouTube Description
as posted by the channelPaul Woskov, a senior research engineer at MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC), is using a gyrotron, a specialized radio-frequency (RF) wave generator developed for fusion research, to explore how millimeter RF waves can open holes through hard rock by melting or vaporizing it. Penetrating deep into hard rock is necessary to access virtually limitless geothermal energy resources, to mine precious metals or explore new options for nuclear waste storage.
The film clips show a granite sample being hit with a 28 GHz gyrotron beam of about 2 kW coming in from the top. In the first clip the beam is turned on and you see the rock glow start and increase in intensity. There are yellow flame-like flashes of plasma breakdown. In the second clip, the airflow down the waveguide with the beam is increased and there are no flashes of plasma. Preventing plasma breakdown in the path of the gyrotron beam improves the efficiency of heating the rock sample.
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