Induction heating is a process where a varying magnetic field is used to heat a conductor or workpiece. When a piece of metal or conductor is placed near a magnetic field created by energising a coil of wire, the magnetic field transfers energy into the conductor, thus heating it up. This paper presents three methods for modelling induction heaters at mains frequency. These models are known as the series equivalent circuit (SEC) model, the transformer equivalent circuit (TEC) model and finite element analysis (FEA). The performances of these models are compared with experimental results for a demonstration induction heater. The FEA gives the best fit to the measured values and the TEC model gives better results than the SEC model.

This paper presents the modelling of transduction heaters using the TEC (transformer equivalent circuit) model and FEA (finite element analysis). Each model was used to simulate a set of transduction heating experiments and the results compared. Analysis of the TEC calculated results suggested modification of three parameters: the secondary resistance, the core tube eddy current resistance and the core tube magnetizing reactance. The improved TEC model was then used to design, build and test a 6 kW transduction heater. The measured results are compared with calculated results from the TEC and FEA models. The TEC model accurately predicts the performance of the heater.