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Induction heating (IH) technology is nowadays the heating technology of choice in many industrial, domestic, and medical applications due to its advantages regarding efficiency, fast heating, safety, cleanness, and accurate control. Advances in key technologies, i.e., power electronics, control techniques, and magnetic component design, have allowed the development of highly reliable and cost-effective systems, making this technology readily available and ubiquitous. This paper reviews IH technology summarizing the main milestones in its development and analyzing the current state of art of IH systems in industrial, domestic, and medical applications, paying special attention to the key enabling technologies involved. Finally, an overview of future research trends and challenges is given, highlighting the promising future of IH technology. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Multiple-burner induction-heating cooking appliances are suitable for using multiple-output inverters. Some common approaches use several single-output inverters or a single-output inverter multiplexing the loads along the time periodically. By specifying a two-output series-resonant high-frequency inverter, a new inverter is obtained fulfilling the requirements. The synthesized converter can be considered as a two-output extension of a full-bridge topology. It allows the control of the two outputs, simultaneously and independently, up to their rated powers saving component count compared with the two-converter solution and providing a higher utilization of electronics. To verify theoretical predictions, the proposed converter is designed and tested experimentally in an induction-heating appliance prototype. A fixed-frequency control strategy is digitally implemented with good final performances for the application, including ZVS operation for active devices and a quick healing function. Although the work is focused on low-power induction heating, it can be probably useful for other power electronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to process a semiconductor device of high quality, uniform heating is necessary, but it is not easy to heat uniformly with conventional induction heating equipment. To solve this problem, zone control induction heating equipment has been jointly developed. In this paper, we examine the effect of dividing an induction heater into several small coil groups having different current and frequency, using the finite-element method. We describe the heating characteristics of the zone control coil groups and show that nearly uniform heating is possible by controlling both current and frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the three-dimensional (3-D) modeling of an induction heating system. To realize the suitable construction of a high-frequency induction heating coil, numerical computations of eddy currents and heat conduction have been carried out by using the finite-element method (FEM) and also taking into account the dependence of material properties on temperature. For a high-frequency induction heating coil, which is normally applicable for heat treatment, the tubular solenoid design is the most appropriate due to its high coil efficiency. Coil efficiency is that part of energy delivered to the coil, which is transferred to the workpiece. Besides coil efficiency, the heating pattern and the production rate are also important. As the heating pattern reflects the coil geometry, optimal coil design is a prerequisite to attain the desired heating. Several modifications, such as spacing in between coil turns, the motion of the workpiece relative to the coil, and dimensional parameters, were carried out until optimal design was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]