Numerical modeling of microwave induced natural convection

A three-dimensional numerical model is developed to predict the distributio n of electromagnetic fields, power distributions, temperatures, and velocit ies within a containerized liquid located in a microwave cavity. A three-di mensional Finite-Difference-Time-Domain (FDTD) scheme is used to determine electromagnetic fields and absorbed power by solving the transient Maxwell' s equations, and the Finite Control Volume method with SIMPLER algorithm is used to obtain unsteady temperature profiles and flow patterns. Temperatur e dependence of liquid dielectric properties is simulated through an iterat ive process. Two liquids, distilled water and corn oil, are chosen to illus trate microwave heating phenomena for high and low;loss dielectrics, respec tively. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.