Implicit Function and Level Set Methods for Computation of Moving Elements During Microwave Heating

It is popular to use moving elements to improve heating uniformity during microwave heating under some situations. However, it is still a challenge to simulate moving elements during microwave heating due to the complexity of mathematical modeling. In this paper, a novel continuous algorithm based on implicit function and level set methods is developed to compute this heating process. By introducing the implicit function and level set methods, the moving region's properties are set as a function of space coordinate and time, which means that the movement of the elements is represented by the variation of the parameters. In addition, with the coordinate transformation, the coupling process of electromagnetic field and heat transfer in microwave heating can be performed. A 2-D applicator model and a 3-D applicator model with a rotating turntable are used to illustrate the proposed method in detail. Experiments are also conducted to testify the validity of the proposed method. The results obtained by the proposed method are in accordance with those obtained by experiments. Moreover, compared with conventional methods, the proposed method is more accurate and efficient.