Electrical Induction Heating

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Electrical Induction Heating

July 8th, 2009 admin

electrical induction heating

Induction Heater

Induction heating could be defined as the process of heating an electrically conducting object, generally a metal, by electromagnetic induction. In this process, currents are generated within the metal which is heated and resistance leads to heating of the metal. An induction heater mainly comprises an electromagnet that enables the transfer of a high-frequency alternating current or AC. The frequency of AC depends on the size of the object type of material, coupling (takes place between the work coil and the object to be heated) and the depth of penetration.

Induction heating is used in various industrial applications such as surface hardening, melting, brazing soldering and so on. Iron and its alloys react best to induction heating. The process of Induction heating is also used to heat liquid conductors such as molten metals and gaseous conductors like gas plasma. Induction heating is of significant importance in the semiconductor industry for the heating of silicon and other semiconductors.

The process of induction heating is commonly used in various household appliances too. One such typical example is the Induction cooker. Induction cooker is a cooking appliance which makes use of the method of induction heating to cook food. Here, a ferromagnetic coated pot is placed above an induction coil for the heating process. In induction cooking, electric current passes through a coil below the surface of the cook top. When this high frequency alternating current or AC passes through the coil, it produces a magnetic field. The magnetic field generated by the induction coil rapidly changes directions.

When an iron or steel pan is placed on top of the cook top, the electric field generates current inside it. The metal in the pan or vessel resists the rapid movement in the current, thus producing resistance. When electricity passes through a material that resists it, the electric current gets transformed into heat. The current within the vessel is sufficient to heat the food. When the vessel is removed from the cook top, the sensor inside the appliance automatically switches off the coil, thus saving a significant amount of energy and enabling the pan to cool down.

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Red-hot ice cube by induction heating