Comprehensive analysis and design optimization of temperature distribution in radiant heaters for cooking applications

Abstract

The temperature distribution inside a radiant heater for cooking purposes has not yet been fully investigated. A numerical methodology was developed to analyze the heat transfer inside a radiant heater. The numerical methodology was validated by experimental analysis, which showed close agreement for the temperature distributions of the heating coil and glass. Then, a parametric study was performed on the pitch of the heating coil, gaps in the inner coil (i.e., inner gap), and gaps in the outer coil (i.e., outer gap). The outer gap had an insignificant effect on the temperature distribution, but the coil and glass temperatures increased linearly as the pitch and inner gap were decreased. The design of the radiant heater was then optimized in terms of thermal stability. A heat loss analysis was carried out, and the numerical results showed close agreement with the experimental results in the case of 10 % heat loss. The results of this study can be used to predict the performance of a radiant heater and optimize its design.