Abstract
Microwave technology is one of the rising technologies that is being used for efficient and effective ways of material processing. In the case of metal processing, recent developments to use microwaves for metal casting, melting, joining, etc. have been proven to be successful and efficient. However, available literature reflects that the methods of using microwaves to heat a metallic sample upto a certain temperature are yet to be explored widely. The present work is an effort to design and develop a furnace for heating a bulk metallic sample, which is a hollow cylinder of Mild Steel, upto a temperature just below its melting point using microwave hybrid heating technique. Following the retrofitting approach, a domestic microwave oven is modified to suit the requirements. Ideal rate of temperature rise of the SiC susceptor due to microwave heating is verified for the available power. Conduction is selected to be the mode of heat transfer between the sample and the SiC susceptor, over radiation using simulations. A setup is designed to employ the microwave hybrid heating, considering the critical temperature of the sample. An optimised thickness of the SiC susceptor capsule is determined through simulations. It is found that the heat transfer rate increases initially with the increase in the susceptor thickness. Calculated heat transfer coefficient for natural convection between SiC susceptor and air is used for final model simulations considering the heat losses due to convection and radiation. The resulting rate of temperature rise is found to be justifying the capability of this method. This work provides a basis that would help to further optimise the setup for specific testing-based applications, using microwave technology as an effective method, to heat metals thus providing a distinct approach towards microwave technology.
Published Version
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