Experimental and theoretical investigation on microwave melting of metals

Experiments were conducted for microwave heating and melting of lead, tin, aluminium and copper with the aid of susceptors and the detailed results were presented for various microwave power levels and sample loading. Aluminium and copper samples were heated in presence of inert gas to minimize oxidation. Compared to conventional melting, microwave melting was twice as fast and more energy efficient. Lumped parameter model of the heating process showed that the conversion of microwave to thermal energy was enhanced at higher temperatures, justifying this a favourable process for metal melting applications. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.