Induction Heating a Steel Pan to Evaporate Water

Objective

A manufacturer of specialized integrated systems needed an induction system to heat steel pans for an application that involved boiling and evaporating water. They turned to THE LAB at Ambrell to prove the application's viability. THE LAB determined that an Ambrell EKOHEAT 50 kW, 15-45 kHz induction heating power supply with a multiple turn pancake coil would be the right system for this application.

Evaluation

Initial tests were conducted to optimize the power delivered to the steel pan and to understand the heating patterns. After several changes and iterations of the coil setup, one was chosen due to the ease of manufacturing and control. Thermocouples were leveraged to monitor the temperature at the base of the steel pan. Welding cloth was used to cover the coil and ensure sufficient isolation between the base and induction coil. The pan was then placed on top of the coil to minimize the distance between the coil and pan and maximize coupling efficiency. The feasibility of this application with induction heating was confirmed through testing by THE LAB.

Solution

Induction met all of the client's objectives. Benefits of induction heating for applications like this one include repeatability, as induction will deliver the same result in the same amount of time every time. It's also an efficient heating method with no ramp up time and rapid heating. Finally, there's no open flame or space intensive oven with induction heating, making it ideal for integrated solutions.

To read other application notes from THE LAB at Ambrell, visit our heating applications page. If your process could be improved with induction heating, be sure to take advantage of free induction heating applications testing from our expert team of application engineers.