Geometry optimization of microwavable food to improve heating uniformity

Abstract

Food geometry affects microwave heating, posing a challenge for uniform heating. In this study, numerical geometry optimization models of 3-D microwave heating were developed using the coefficient of variation of the absorbed power as the optimization objective to obtain the best geometry. These models were verified by comparing the surface temperature distribution and point temperatures from the experiments and simulations. The optimized geometry exhibited better heating uniformity than the non-optimized geometry. After geometry optimization, the static heating uniformity of a single sample and multiple sample combinations was improved by up to 109.93% and 53.95%, respectively. Similar geometry features were obtained after geometry optimization of potato, beef, and tilapia samples at defined positions. In addition, rotational heating enhanced temperature uniformity for each sample during simultaneous heating. This study provides a flexible and effective method for designing microwaveable food and container geometries.