Results and prospects of microwave heating technology for dielectric materials

Abstract

The physical essence of problems in traditional microwave heating technology of continuous and piecewise homogeneous media with dielectric losses is discussed. The shortcomings of conventional resonant heating chambers are summarized, caused by standing waves inside their volume, shifts in the spectrum of their natural frequencies, and the flow of surface currents along the chamber walls. As a promising alternative, heating in a new non-resonant microwave chamber is proposed, which avoids the drawbacks of traditional designs. The possibilities for developing previously unseen technologies are noted.