Applied Mathematics in the Numerical Modelling of the Electromagnetic Field in Reference to Drying Dielectrics in the RF Field

Abstract

The processing of dielectric materials in the radio frequency field continues to be a concern in engineering. This procedure involves a rigorous analysis of the electromagnetic field based on specific numerical methods. This paper presents an original method for analysing the process of drying wooden boards in a radio frequency (RF) installation. The electromagnetic field and thermal field are calculated using the finite element method (FEM). The load capacity of the installation is also calculated, since the material being heated in the radio frequency heating installations is placed in a capacitor-type applicator. A specific method is created in order to solve the problem related to mass, a quantity which tends to change during the drying of the dielectric. In addition, special consideration is given to issues regarding the coupling of the electromagnetic field and the thermal field, along with aspects pertaining to mass. These are implemented numerically using a program written in the Fortran language, which takes the distribution of finite elements from the Flux2D program, the dielectric thermal module, intended only for the study of RF heating. The results obtained after running the program are satisfactory and they represent a support for future studies, especially if the movement of the dielectric is taken into account.