Defining a coupling coefficient for rock samples in a parallel-plate capacitor
Minerals & Metallurgical Processing
, 2012, Vol. 29, No. 3, pp. 177-182
Various materials may be connected to high-power radio frequency (RF) equipment by using either a cylindrical or a parallel-plate capacitor, enabling the dielectric heating of materials or liquids contained within the coupling device. This RF treatment may serve a variety of purposes, including an effective quarantine method for fruit, supporting biodegradation and soil vapor extraction and in tempering certain rock samples. This article discusses the parallel-plate capacitor as a simple method in connecting various rock samples to high power RF amplifiers. A unique coupling coefficient is defined for a specific sized parallel-plate capacitor using the measured values for specific heat capacity of the predefined rock samples.