Investigations of the Microwave Electromagnetic Properties of Pulp with Fluxing Additives

Abstract

Vitrification of pulp-like radioactive materials with production of borophosphate and borosilicate glasses, using microwave energy at 2375 MHz and output generator power 5 kW, have been studied at the Mining-Chemical Combine since 1999. The conditions for heating the material being processed depends strongly on the electromagnetic characteristics of this material, specifically, the permittivity and the tangent of the dielectric loss angle. Investigation of the electromagnetic characteristics of the processed material and their analysis will make it possible to generate recommendations for effective execution of the process of vitrification of radioactive pulps using microwave energy. As a result of the investigations, the permittivity and tangent of the dielectric loss angle of a pulp simulator, evaporated conglomerate (calcinate), and samples of glasses obtained from this pulp were measured, the materials increasing the dielectric losses of the calcinate at microwave frequencies were determined, and the dynamics of the variation of the electromagnetic properties of the pulp as a function of the content of the additives which increase the tangent of the dielectric loss angle was determined.