Title :
Penetrating rock with intense millimeter-waves
Author :
Woskov, P.P. ; Einstein, Herbert H. ; Oglesby, Kenneth D.
Author_Institution :
Massachutess Inst. of Technol., Cambridge, MA, USA
Abstract :
The use of directed energy millimeter-waves to bore into hard rock is being investigated in the laboratory as an advanced drilling technology. Experiments at 28 GHz show that with peak intensities of 1-2 kW/cm2 granite, basalt, and limestone can be melted and vaporized to over 3000 °C in a few minutes. Heating is limited by radiative heat transfer loss. Key features for practical field implementation of a gyrotron drilling system have been shown on a small scale in the laboratory.
Keywords :
drilling; gyrotrons; heat transfer; microwave heating; millimetre wave tubes; radiative transfer; rocks; advanced drilling technology; basalt; directed energy millimeter-waves; frequency 28 GHz; granite; gyrotron drilling system; hard rock; heating; intense millimeter-waves; limestone; penetrating rock; radiative heat transfer loss; Gyrotrons; Heating; Laboratories; Plasma temperature; Rocks; Surface waves; Temperature measurement;
Conference_Titel :
Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz waves (IRMMW-THz), 2014 39th International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Tucson, AZ
DOI :
10.1109/IRMMW-THz.2014.6955993
