Microwave processing using highly microwave absorbing powdered material layers
AssigneeThe Penn State Research Foundation
InventorsShalva Gedevanishvili, Dinesh K. Agrawal, Rustum Roy, Balasubramaniam Vaidhyanathan
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Abstract
A method of heating an article with microwave energy is described in which a thin layer of highly microwave absorbent powdered material is provided around at least a portion of a container made of microwave transparent material. The article to be heated is placed at a position within the container where the article is adjacent the thin layer of highly microwave absorbent powdered material, and microwave energy is applied to the container.
Claims73
A method of heating with microwave energy an article made with monolithic metal comprising:
- providing a thin layer of highly microwave absorbent powdered material around at least a portion of a container made of microwave transparent material;
- placing the article, when the article is at a temperature at which plasma discharges normally occur as microwave energy is applied to the monolithic metal of the article, within the container at a position where the article is adjacent the layer of highly microwave absorbent powdered material;
- and
- applying microwave energy to the container when the article is at the temperature at which plasma discharges normally occur.
A method of heating with microwave energy an article made with monolithic metal comprising:
- providing a thin layer of highly microwave absorbent powdered material around a substantial portion of the total circumference of at least a portion of a container made of microwave transparent material, the thin layer having a length which is a significant portion of the length of the monolithic metal of the article;
- and
- placing the article, at a time when the article is at a temperature at which plasma discharges normally occur as microwave energy is applied to the monolithic metal of the article, within the container at a position where the article can be heated by radiant heat from the thin layer of highly microwave absorbent powdered material;
- and
- applying microwave radiation to the container to heat the article when the article is at the temperature at which plasma discharges normally occur.
A method of heating an article made of monolithic metal with microwave energy comprising:
- providing a thin layer of highly microwave absorbent powdered material around at least a part of the circumference of at least a portion of the length of a container made of microwave transmitting material;
- providing the article at a temperature at which plasma discharges normally occur when microwave energy is applied directly to the monolithic metal of the article;
- placing the article within the container at a position where a portion of the length of the article is adjacent a substantial portion of the length of the thin layer of highly microwave absorbent powdered material, with the thin layer of highly microwave absorbent material having a length and total areas sufficient to heat the article without significant plasma discharge occurring;
- and
- applying microwave energy to the container to heat the article to a temperature above a critical temperature at which the monolithic metal out of which the article is made no longer causes plasma discharges to occur when microwave radiation is applied directly to it.
A method of heating with microwave energy an article made with monolithic metal comprising:
- applying a thin layer of highly microwave absorbent powdered material on a sheet of material made of microwave transmitting material;
- placing the article, when it is at a temperature at which plasma discharges normally occur when microwave energy is applied to the monolithic metal of the article, on the sheet of material at a position where at least a portion of the article is adjacent the thin layer of highly microwave absorbent powdered material;
- and
- applying microwave energy to the sheet of material to heat the article when the article is at the temperature at which plasma discharges normally occur.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.