Simulation of an induction hardening system during Curie temperature transition considering converter's performance
ISSN: 0332-1649
Article publication date: 1 January 2013
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to simulate, test and evaluate an induction heating process considering the converter's performance.
Design/methodology/approach
In case of continuous induction hardening processes, the load changes abruptly during the transition to Curie temperature, becoming significant considering the converter's behavior. In this paper, an induction heating system is simulated combining the numerical analysis of the electromagnetic‐thermal and electrical problem, focusing mainly on the converter's performance. The simulations are realized by using commercial FEM software and the voltage and the frequency are manually varied according to the converter's control. The system has also been implemented in an experimental setup and the results obtained have been compared with the simulations.
Findings
The importance of considering the converter's dynamics was observed during the simulations. The simulation results showed a correspondence with the experimental results, validating the simulation procedure and demonstrating that the converter's behavior has to be considered.
Originality/value
A power converter for a real industrial induction heating process where there is a sudden change in the load parameters is simulated and experimentally tested. The importance of considering the variation of frequency and voltage during the simulation of induction heating systems is demonstrated. Some considerations for induction heating modeling regarding converter's performance are given and the importance of converter's dynamics is introduced. In addition, a simple and flexible method of simulating the converter operation with commercial software is presented.
Keywords
Citation
Martín‐Segura, G., Ferrater‐Simón, C., López‐Mestre, J., Montesinos‐Miracle, D. and Bergas‐Jané, J. (2013), "Simulation of an induction hardening system during Curie temperature transition considering converter's performance", COMPEL - The international journal for computation and mathematics in electrical and electronic engineering, Vol. 32 No. 1, pp. 396-411. https://doi.org/10.1108/03321641311293957
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2013, Emerald Group Publishing Limited