Induction heating is a technique that can heat a material without direct contact with the electrical energy source. It consists of placing the object to be heated in a time-varying electromagnetic field and dissipating the energy induced inside the object as heat [DEV 00] (Figure I.1). It is appropriate for materials that are electrical conductors or semiconductors. It is used for many thermal processes, especially for the fusion or thermal treatment of metals [DEV 00].
Induction heating is based on four physical phenomena:
– creating an electromagnetic field using a solenoid with an electric field as described by Ampère’s law;
– electromagnetic induction, as expressed by the Faraday–Lenz law;
– heat production by Joule effect; and
– heat diffusion by conduction, as expressed by Fourier’s law.
In their differential form, these laws are expressed by the Maxwell equations and the heat transfer equation.
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