New Applications of the FDTD Method with Enthalpy-Dependent Media Parameters

An original extension of the FDTD method to enthalpy-dependent media parameters is proposed. During one FDTD simulation, media parameters are repetitively modified in accordance with the extracted heating patterns. Generation of spurious modes is suppressed by converting E-, H- to D-, B- fields before media modification. The method correctly predicts run-away heating, diverging defrosting, and a variety of other effects, which until now could only be intuitively expected or experimentally observed. This opens new applications for the FDTD method in microwave power sectors including food industry, microwave oven design, and the newly emerging but highly competitive area of microwave chemistry and pharmacy.