Numerical simulation of the surface microwave heating efficiency of cement-based metamaterial absorbers in specific bands

Abstract

Concentrating electromagnetic (EM) heat losses on the surface for road microwave deicing have been used to increase the efficiency of surface microwave heating. Here, a numerical model to enhance the surface EM losses based on metamaterial absorbers (MMAs) was developed and validated using experiments with cement as the thermal medium. The model included structure optimization, analysis for characterization of the surface loss mechanism, and tested for determination of the surface heating efficiency. Using the optimized structures, the efficiency of surface microwave heating improved by fivefold when compared to conventional road structures. These effects were consistent across tested and simulated results. In summary, the potential of implementing MMAs for road microwave deicing is highlighted to improve surface microwave heating efficiency.

Keywords

• Numerical simulation
• Microwave deicing
• Surface heating
• Metamaterial absorber
• Cement pavement