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Induction heating (IH) applications, assisted with converter topology and their control, have become very attractive in recent years. Independent power control for any induction cooking application with simple converter topology, multi-load handling capacity, and a control technique is still a research hot spot. This paper focuses on developing the dual-frequency converter for delivering power to two loads independently. The switching frequencies of the converter for loads 1 and 2 are selected as 20 and 80 kHz, respectively, and the inverter is operated by multiplexing two switching frequencies. The independent power control is performed using a phase shift control scheme and validated in real-time using a PIC16F877A microcontroller. The prototype of 1 kW is developed and load 1 is operated with 550 W and load 2 is operated with 270 W output power. The independent power control is verified for various values of the control angle (ϕ) and it is noticed that the efficiency is 91% at 0 ° and it is above 80% for other values of ϕ. The thermal model of the proposed system is studied using COMSOL multiphysics software and the experimental image is recorded using a FLIR thermal imager. It is noted that the temperature rise in the load is 78 ° C and 38.5 ° C for loads 1 and 2, respectively, at time t = 180 s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Induction heating (IH) applications aided by power electronic control system have become very attractive in the recent past. The power electronics circuits succumb to severe switching loss, lower power density if proper switching methodology is not adhered. A state of uncertainty is indispensable in IH application as the power required by the load varies depending upon the nature of work piece. This uncertain issue makes the selection of the control algorithm and controller very vital. The mundane controllers may not be compatible to combat the uncertainties and leads to exhibit dynamic problems say transients, peak overshoot and poor response. Henceforth, the IH system requires a superlative converter topology and control scheme in order to have reduced switching loss and to improve the system performance there by negating the uncertainties. Here, in this work, a direct AC–AC boost resonant converter fed by pulse density modulation (PDM) is realized in a single stage mode. A fuzzy logic-based PDM control technique improves the efficiency and provides the versatile power control with reduced time domain specifications for dynamic changes in load. The proposed system has been studied using MATLAB/SIMULINK and validated using a hardware prototype employing dsPIC30F4011 microcontroller. The results reveal that efficient control over power can be accomplished by varying the density of the switching pulses, and thereby the efficiency is enhanced even with reduced component count. Also, the single-stage conversion is effective than its two-stage counterpart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current scenario, power electronic device-based induction heating (IH) technologies are widely employed in domestic cooking, industrial melting and medical applications. These IH applications are designed using different converter topologies, modulation and control techniques. This review article mainly focuses on the modelling of half-bridge series resonant inverter, electrical and thermal model of IH load. This review also analyses the performance of the converter topologies based on the power conversion stages, switching frequency, power rating, power density, control range, modulation techniques, load handling capacity and efficiency. Moreover, this paper provides insight into the future of IH application, with respect to the adaptation of wide band-gap power semiconductor materials, multi-output topologies, variable-frequency control schemes with minimum losses and filters designed to improve source-side power factor. With the identified research gap in the literature, an attempt has also been made to develop a new hybrid modulation technique, to achieve a wide range of power control with high efficiency. A 100 W full-bridge inverter prototype is realised both in simulation and hardware, with various modulation schemes using a PIC16F877A microcontroller. The results are compared with existing techniques and the comparisons reveal that the proposed scheme is highly viable and effective for the rendered applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]