Heat transfer analysis in different cookware materials

Abstract — Induction heating is a fast, efficient, precise and repeatable non-contact method for heating metals or other electrically-conductive materials. Induction cookers are domestically induction heating devices which have become more popular against gas based cookers and electrical resistance stoves because they are safer and they present higher heating rates and energy efficiency. However the appropriate performance of these devices for induction heating (IH) depends directly on the coupled system cooker-cookware. Differences in the energy efficiency and temperature distribution during heating and cooling are related to the configuration of the pot and the different materials which those are made of. In case of cooking processes, the natural convection of the different fluids may affect to the microbiology, safety, food quality and cooking times. This study aims to perform the heating analysis in the lateral of three different induction cookware configurations of aluminium, enameled iron and stainless steel body cookware. The experimental data was analyzed using COMSOL Multiphysics in order to understand the thermal processes in the different pots. These results were compared with the results obtained by a thermographic camera. Results show that pot materials have a direct influence in the heating rate and distribution. Keywords: Induction cookware, induction cooking, heat transfer analysis, pot, cast iron, thermography, COMSOL Multiphysics, Computational fluid dynamic