Modeling the heating uniformity contributed by a rotating turntable in microwave ovens

• Published in: Journal of food engineering Vol. 82; no. 3; pp. 359 - 368
• Main Authors: Geedipalli, S.S.R., Rakesh, V., Datta, A.K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2007; Elsevier
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Carousel; Finite element method; Food engineering; Food industries; Foods; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Heat equation; Heating; Heating uniformity; Mathematical analysis; Mathematical models; Maxwell’s equation; Microwave oven; Microwaves; Ovens; Turntables; Variability; Finite element method; Maxwell’s equation; Microwave oven; Heat equation; Heating uniformity; Carousel; Heat; Heating; Equation; Method; Modeling; Maxwell's equation; Finite element
• ISSN: 0260-8774; 1873-5770
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2007.02.050

The role of a carousel in improving heating uniformity of food in a microwave oven is studied. A physics-based computational model is developed coupling the Maxwell’s equations for electromagnetics and energy equation for heating inside a microwave oven with food load. The model is solved numerically using a finite element based computational software. Transient simulation of the heating process is done by considering the rotation of the turntable by repeating the computations for discrete angular positions of the turntable. The model is experimentally validated by measurements of point temperatures using fiber optic probes. Power absorbed in the food as a function of the angle of rotation of the turntable covering the entire cycle is available for the first time. Using various measures of heating uniformity, it is shown that the carousel helps in increasing the temperature uniformity of the food by about 40%.