Analysis, FEM based Simulation and Experimental Validation of a VSI-fed Silicon Carbide based Radio Frequency Induction Heating Prototype

This paper discusses the circuit analysis, FEM based simulation and experimental validation of a voltage source inverter (VSI) fed 160 kHz, 145 W Silicon Carbide (SiC) based induction heating prototype. The design and component selection procedure is discussed in detail. The SiC MOSFET based high frequency converter (developed in the laboratory) are used to achieve higher frequency due to lower switching and conduction losses. Induction heating is preferred in heating applications due to higher efficiency. High frequency induction heating is used for surface treatment of metals. At higher frequencies, flux tends to pass through the outer surface of metals due to skin effects. FEM based simulation has been done and the results are included in this paper. A hollow cast iron piece has been heated upto 135 °C in 3 minutes. The experimental results are also included in this paper. Excellent agreement between simulation and experimental results upholds the accuracy of the work.