Efficiency optimization of a multi source microwave oven: multiphysics analysis and experimental validation

A microwave heating multiphysics model has been numerically investigated and experimentally validated. Electromagnetic equations have been coupled with the heat transfer relations and the fluid dynamics ones, in order to predict the heating process and maximize the energy transfer to the water load. A solid-state microwave generator system is considered as an alternative to the magnetron, in order to fully control the electromagnetic energy delivery into the cavity of a microwave oven. Results show that an accurate model has been developed and that a very efficient electrical configuration is achievable for the case under investigation. The original contribution of this work consists in an energy saving algorithm applicable to a widely used electromagnetic device, the microwave oven.