After many years of fusion research, the conditions needed for a D–T fusion reactor have been approached on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) [Fusion Technol. 21, 1324 (1992)]. For the first time the unique phenomena present in a D–T plasma are now being studied in a laboratory plasma. The first magnetic fusion experiments to study plasmas using nearly equal concentrations of deuterium and tritium have been carried out on TFTR. At present the maximum fusion power of 10.7 MW, using 39.5 MW of neutral-beam heating, in a supershot discharge and 6.7 MW in a high-βp discharge following a current rampdown. The fusion power density in a core of the plasma is ≊2.8 MW m−3, exceeding that expected in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) [Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1991), Vol. 3, p. 239] at 1500 MW total fusion power. The energy confinement time, τE, is observed to increase in D–T, relative to D plasmas, by 20% and the ni(0) Ti(0) τE product by 55%. The improvement in thermal confinement is caused primarily by a decrease in ion heat conductivity in both supershot and limiter-H-mode discharges. Extensive lithium pellet injection increased the confinement time to 0.27 s and enabled higher current operation in both supershot and high-βp discharges. Ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) heating of a D–T plasma, using the second harmonic of tritium, has been demonstrated. First measurements of the confined alpha particles have been performed and found to be in good agreement with TRANSP [Nucl. Fusion 34, 1247 (1994)] simulations. Initial measurements of the alpha ash profile have been compared with simulations using particle transport coefficients from He gas puffing experiments. The loss of alpha particles to a detector at the bottom of the vessel is well described by the first-orbit loss mechanism. No loss due to alpha-particle-driven instabilities has yet been observed. D–T experiments on TFTR will continue to explore the assumptions of the ITER design and to examine some of the physics issues associated with an advanced tokamak reactor.
Heat pasteurization may detrimentally affect the quality of fruit and vegetable juices; hence, nonthermal pasteurization methods are actively being developed. Radio frequency electric fields processing has recently been shown to inactivate yeast in water at near-ambient temperatures. The objective of this study was to extend the radio frequency electric fields (RFEF) technique to inactivate bacteria in apple juice. A converged-field treatment chamber was developed that enabled high-intensity RFEF to be applied to apple juice using a 4-kW power supply. Finite element analyses indicated that uniform fields were generated in the treatment chamber. Escherichia coli K12 in apple juice was exposed for 0.17 ms to electric field strengths of up to 26 kV/cm peak over a frequency range of 15 to 70 kHz. The population of E. coli was reduced by 1.8 log following exposure to an 18 kV/cm field at an outlet temperature of 50°C. Raising the temperature increased inactivation. Intensifying the electric field up to 16 kV/cm increased inactivation; however, above this intensity, inactivation remained constant. Radio frequencies of 15 and 20 kHz inactivated E. coli better than frequencies of 30 to 70 kHz. Inactivation was independent of the initial microbial concentration between 4.3 and 6.2 log colony-forming units (CFU)/mL. Applying 3 treatment stages at 50°C increased inactivation to 3 log. The electric energy for the RFEF process was 300 J/mL. The results of the present study provide the 1st evidence that RFEF processing inactivates bacteria in fruit juice at moderately low temperatures.
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