Journal of Microwave Power and Electromagnetic Energy (JMPEE)
TITLE	Modification of the Microwave Breakdown Threshold by the Presence Radioactive Material [PDF]
AUTHORS	M. Rousseau and P. S. Excell 1982 17 3 231-236
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Abstract A study of the effect of radioactivity on the breakdown threshold in waveguides is presented. The radioactive source is considered to be a `slug' of material terminating the waveguide, this being dictated by the application: microwave drying of fission product materials. It is shown that if the gas within the waveguide is air, the breakdown behaviour will be attachment-dominated, provided that the pressure and temperature do not deviate greatly from NTP. The result of this is that the limiting value of specific activity is largely independent of pressure, temperature, and waveguide size. The minimum predicted limiting value is shown to be sufficiently large to make microwave drying of radioactive waste materials feasible.