Identification of turntable function in a solid-state microwave heating process with diverse frequency-shifting strategies applied

Abstract

The turntable has been used in conventional magnetron-based microwave ovens to improve the heating uniformity. Meanwhile, with the emerging solid-state technique, well-designed frequency-shifting strategies also show promise in yielding improved microwave outcomes without a rotating turntable. This study used modeling tools to comprehensively assess the turntable function under various conditions, where the affecting factors included vertical and horizontal positions of food, rotation status of the turntable, frequency-shifting strategy, and food configurations. Results illustrated that the elevation of food by the turntable is more critical to power efficiency and heating uniformity, while rotation mainly works to narrow the temperature difference between hot and cold spots. Moreover, the complementary-shifting strategy lessened the rotation function of the turntable. Hence, in a solid-state microwave system embedded with a proper frequency-shifting strategy, a simpler supporting component shall replace the current rotating turntable, streamlining the oven design without compromising the microwave performance. Industrial relevanceThis study comprehensively evaluated functions of the turntable, a conventional component, inside a novel microwave system design utilizing solid-state instead of the magnetron as its power source. Based on the evaluation, the well-implemented frequency strategies hold promise to achieve improved microwave performance with a simpler supporting component to elevate the food, rather than relying on a rotating turntable. These findings provide novel insights for designing the next-generation microwave ovens.