A new procedure for power efficiency optimization in microwave ovens based on thermographic measurements and load location search

In this work, a novel procedure for increasing the power efficiency of microwave ovens is presented. The procedure consists of iteratively moving the sample within the microwave oven until a maximum average temperature increment is detected across the sample. A new experimental set-up consisting of a multimode microwave cavity, a dielectric tracking system, a microwave power source and a thermographic camera has been built and tested. Results show that it is possible to find optimal positions for the sample within the oven for which microwave power transfer to the sample is maximized.