Simulation of an induction hardening system during Curie temperature transition considering converter's performance

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