This research presents a novel designed cavity system for improving microwave heating efficiency. Microwave heating at 2.45 GHz with monopole antennas in a cavity is compared with the conventional magnetron heating on a tylose block. The model for both heating methods was first validated versus experimental results and showed excellent agreement. The antenna heating in a cavity significantly improved the heating rate and uniformity in the tylose sample. The cavity heating method exhibited nearly twice the efficiency as sample sizes increased. The cavity design improves the microwave absorption and final temperature uniformity substantially over the traditional microwave oven. Notably within the first 60 seconds, the non-uniformity in temperature distribution begins to decrease in the cavity while the magnetron method still shows increasing temperature non-uniformity. The novel use of antennas in a cavity demonstrates the potential for a controllable and selectable microwave heating system that improves power efficiency, heating rate, and temperature uniformity over conventional microwave heating.
JonesD.A., LelyveldT.P., MavrofidisS.D., KingmanS.W. and MilesN.J., Microwave heating applications in environmental engineering - a review, Resources, Conservation and Recycling34(2) (2002), 75-90.
2.
RosenA., StuchlyM.A. and VanderV.A., Applications of RF microwaves in medicine, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques50(30) (2002), 963-974.
3.
HaqueK.E., Microwave energy for mineral treatment processes - a brief review, International Journal of Mineral Processing57(1) (1999), 1-24.
4.
OsepchukJ.M., A history of microwave heating applications, IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques32(9) (1984), 1200-1224.
5.
SalemaA.A., YeowY.K., IshaqueK., AniF.N., AfzalM. and HassanA., Dielectric properties and microwave heating of oil palm biomass and biochar, Industrial Crops and Products50 (2013), 366-374.
6.
KomarovV.V., Formulations of the coupled mathematical models of microwave heating processes, International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics36(4) (2011), 309-316.
7.
CampanoneL.A. and ZaritzkyN.E., Mathematical analysis of microwave heating process, Journal of Food Engineering69(3) (2005), 359-368.
8.
MonikaW.P., Advances in microwave and radio frequency processing, Bayreuth, Germany, Springer, 2006.
9.
CampanoneL.A., PaolaC.A. and MascheroniR.H., Modeling and simulation of microwave heating of foods under different process schedules, Food and Bioprocess Technology5(2) (2012), 738-749.
10.
MeirY. and JerbyE., Localized rapid heating by low-power solid-state microwave drill, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques60(8) (2012), 2665-2672.
11.
LinX.Y., HuangK.M. and YangY., Simulation and analysis of a novel wideband microwave coaxial reactor, International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics46(3) (2014), 727-737.
12.
SzymanikB. and GratkowskiS., Numerical modelling of microwave heating in landmines detection, International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics37(2) (2011), 215-229.
13.
SantosT., MonteiroM.A., SousaJ. and CostaL.C., Electromagnetic and thermal history during microwave heating, Applied Thermal Engineering31(6) (2011), 3255-3261.
TorresF. and JeckoB., Complete FDTD analysis of microwave heating processes in frequency-dependent and temperature-dependent media, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques45(1) (1997), 108-117.
16.
AlpertY. and JerbyE., Coupled thermal-electromagnetic model for microwave heating of temperature-dependent dielectric media, IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science27(2) (1999), 555-562.
17.
ChandrasekaranS., RamanathanS. and BasakT., Microwave material processing - a review, AIChE Journal28(2) (2012), 330-363.
18.
RamaswamyH. and TangJ., Microwave and radio frequency heating, Food Science and Technology International14(5) (2008), 423-427.
19.
RobinsonJ., KingmanS., IvrineD., LicenceP., SmithA., DimitrakisG., ObermayerD. and KapperC.O., Understanding microwave heating effects in single mode type cavities - theory and experiment, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics12(8) (2010), 4750-4758.
20.
ChamchongM., Microwave thawing of foods: Effect of power levels, dielectric properties, and sample geometry, Cornell University, January, 1997.
21.
VenkateshM.S., Cavity Perturbation Technique for Measurement of Dielectric properties of Some Agri-food Materials, Department of Agriculture & Biosystems Engineering McGill University, Montreal, Canada, 1996.
22.
IcierF. and IlicaliC., The use of tylose as a food analog in ohmic heating studies, Journal of Food Engineering69(1) (2005), 67-77.
23.
PozarD.M., Microwave engineering, John Wiley & Sons, 2009.
24.
JacobsenS., StaufferP., PaulR. and NeumanD.G., Dual-mode antenna design for microwave heating and noninvasive thermometry of superficial tissue disease, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering47(11) (2000), 1500-1509.
25.
MasonJ.A., SmithS. and WassermanD., Strong absorption and selective thermal emission from a midinfrared metamaterial, Applied Physics Letters98(24) (2011), 97-100.
26.
ElsaD.T., JuanM.C. and AlejandroD.M., Uniform Electric Field Distribution in Microwave Heating Applicators by Means of Genetic Algorithms Optimization of Dielectric Multilayer Structures, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques55(1) (2007), 85-91.
27.
MohrP.J. and TaylorB.N., Fundamental Physical Constants, American Institute Publishing, New York, USA, 2010.
28.
DattaA., Porous media approaches to studying simultaneous heat and mass transfer in food processes. II: Property data and representative results, Journal of Food Engineering80(1) (2007), 96-110.
