Finite element modeling of the RF heating process

The heating of heterogeneous materials by radio frequency excitation is modeled by sequential electromagnetic and thermal analysis using the finite-element method. The electromagnetic analysis comprises electrostatic modeling using temperature-dependent complex dielectric permittivity to account for the energy dissipating losses in the material. The thermal analysis consists of a transient finite-element procedure with temperature-dependent thermal and material properties. The results show good agreement with transient thermal measurements.>