Simulating Microwave Heating for Industrial Processes Using the Finite-Difference Time-Domain Method

Sammanfattning: Microwave heating is an efficient way of heating compared to conventional industrial alternatives such as autoclaves, a type of pressure cooker commonly used for curing and sterilisation. One problem that limits the adoption of microwave ovens in industrial processes is uneven heating. This project aims to simplify industrial microwave oven development by constructing a simulation of microwave heating using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. This is a common accepted method for solving differential equations. Simulation tools can be used to efficiently create prototypes virtually which makes for a more efficient development process of customised microwave ovens.%The implementation is written in Python and uses Meep, an open source FDTD library for simulating electromagnetic fields. The end product produces a model of a physical system and simulates the interaction between microwaves and the target material. This interaction results in heating of the target material, which can be observed through an animated heat map. This heat map can then be compared to the video from a thermographic camera to determine the model's validity and accuracy. The results of this project confirms the validity of the approach but does not validate the accuracy of the simulation. The system requires further development in three areas: 2D simulations must be scaled to 3D, the simulations predictive ability must be validated and the simulated time span must be increased.