A finite difference thermal model of a cylindrical microwave heating applicator using locally conformal overlapping grids: part II--numerical results and experimental evaluation.

In this paper, we present numerical results obtained from a robust, locally conformal 3-D Orthogonal Grid Finite Difference (OGFD) thermal algorithm introduced in Part I of our current investigation [Al-Rizzo et al., 2006] integrated with an Orthogonal Grid Finite-Difference Time Domain (OGFDTD) scheme [Al-Rizzo et al., 2000], which accurately models the volumetric electromagnetic (EM) power deposition pattern.

A finite difference thermal model of a cylindrical microwave heating applicator using locally conformal overlapping grids: part I--theoretical formulation.

In this paper, we present a versatile mathematical formulation of a newly developed 3-D locally conformal Finite Difference (FD) thermal algorithm developed specificallyfor coupled electromagnetic (EM) and heat diffusion simulations utilizing Overlapping Grids (OGFD) in the Cartesian and cylindrical coordinate systems. The motivation for this research arises from an attempt to characterize the dominant thermal transport phenomena typically encountered during the process cycle of a high-power, microwave-assisted material processing system employing a geometrically composite cylindrical multimode heating furnace. The cylindrical FD scheme is only applied to the outer shell of the housing cavity whereas the Cartesian FD scheme is used to advance the temperature elsewhere including top and bottom walls, and most of the inner region of the cavity volume.

FDTD analysis of dielectric-loaded longitudinally slotted rectangular waveguides.

A versatile electromagnetic (EM) computational algorithm, based on the Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) technique, is developed to analyze longitudinally oriented, square-ended, single slot fixtures and slot-pair configurations cut in the broad wall of a WR-975 guide operating at a frequency of 915 MHz. The finite conductivity of the waveguide walls is accounted for by employing a time-domain Surface-Impedance Boundary Conditions (SIBC) formulation. The proposed FDTD algorithm has been validated against measurements performed on a probe-excited slot cut along the center line of the broad wall of a WR-284 guide and available experimental data for energy coupled from a longitudinal slot pair in the broad wall of a WR-340 guide.