Microwave heating of bodies with temperature dependent properties

Abstract

The microwave heating of a conducting body with material properties dependent on temperature is studied. The equations governing this process are derived and are solved in the geometric optics (high frequency) limit for one-dimensional, cylindrically symmetric and spherically symmetric materials with small thermal diffusivity and material properties linearly dependent on temperature. These solutions are found not to be uniformly valid for all time. For the special case in which only the conductivity depends on temperature and the conductivity is small, a uniformly solution is found.