Why Do Induction Ovens Heat Ferromagnetic Materials More Efficiently?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the efficiency of induction ovens in heating ferromagnetic materials compared to non/low ferromagnetic materials, such as copper or aluminum. Participants explore the underlying mechanisms, including eddy currents, hysteresis losses, and the role of magnetic properties in heating efficiency.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether eddy currents are more easily induced in ferromagnetic materials than in non/low ferromagnetic materials.
  • Another participant notes that induction cookers create losses through magnetic hysteresis and work primarily with iron pans, suggesting that other induction heaters may be designed for different materials and frequencies.
  • A participant expresses confusion about the reasons ferromagnetic materials heat faster than non/low ferromagnetic materials, despite mentioning that hysteresis losses contribute less than ten percent to the total heat generated.
  • Some participants propose that the skin effect increases resistance in ferromagnetic materials, potentially affecting heating efficiency.
  • One participant explains that ferromagnetic materials experience hysteresis, where internal magnetism lags behind the external magnetic field, resulting in heat generation due to energy loss in each cycle.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying viewpoints on the mechanisms behind the heating efficiency of ferromagnetic materials, with no consensus reached on the primary reasons for the observed differences in heating performance.

Contextual Notes

Some claims depend on specific definitions of magnetic properties and may involve unresolved mathematical aspects related to the skin effect and hysteresis losses.

fluidistic
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I do not understand why ferromagnetic materials are more easily heated by an induction oven than a non/low ferromagnetic material such as copper or aluminum.
Are Eddy currents more easily induced into a ferromagnetic material than a conductor lacking a high ferromagnetic property? Why is it so?
 
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An induction cooker for instance creates losses by magnetic hysteresis. It works only with iron pans, not copper.

Some other induction heaters are designed for other materials, work at other frequencies, and prefer simple conductive material.
 
Enthalpy said:
An induction cooker for instance creates losses by magnetic hysteresis. It works only with iron pans, not copper.

Some other induction heaters are designed for other materials, work at other frequencies, and prefer simple conductive material.
According to wikipedia,
wiki said:
In an induction cooker, a coil of copper wire is placed underneath the cooking pot. An alternating electric current flows through the coil, which produces an oscillating magnetic field. This field induces an electric current in the pot. Current flowing in the metal pot produces resistive heating which heats the food. While the current is large, it is produced by a low voltage.
and they are talking about
wiki said:
a cooking vessel must be made of a ferromagnetic metal
.
And also
wiki said:
Some additional heat is created by hysteresis losses in the pot due to its ferromagnetic nature, but this creates less than ten percent of the total heat generated
.
So this does not seem to be the answer. I'm still clueless as why a ferromagnetic material heats much faster than a non/low ferromagnetic material.
 
Possible explanations:
- Wiki botched it. It does happen.
- Losses result from induced current, but only because the skin effect increases the resistance, and the skin is made much thinner in ferromagnetic materials.
Why shouldn't you try to put some figures at it? Search for "Kelvin effect". Cookers use high frequencies, like >20kHz.
 
Ferromagnetic materials switch their internal magnetism back and forth with every switch of the external magnetic field. However the process has hysteresis, that is it is not completely reversible. The internal magnetic domains lag behind the changing external field, so the sweep back and forth describes a hysteresis loop. The larger the area in this loop the greater the loss on each cycle. This loss turns up as heat. Look up 'hysteresis loop' for graphs and further details.

This effect does not exist in non magnetic materials.
 

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