Efficient Multiobjective Optimization Framework for Induction Heating Systems Design

Induction heating is an efficient alternative to fuel combustion in thermal applications. The design of the coil arrangement is a complex problem, constrained by electromagnetic and thermal dynamics. This article proposes a multi-objective optimization methodology for the geometric design of winding distribution on both the radial and the height arrangement for coils in induction heating systems around generic axisymmetric convex workpieces. A novel parametrization using the curvilinear abscissa allows for an efficient formulation for the windings distribution coordinates and avoids the use of non-linear geometric constraints in the formulation. Coil configuration problems with many degrees of freedom are solved as black-box optimization problems using the Set Membership Global Optimization method in conjunction with a finite element-based simulator. The proposed methodology is verified over several electromagnetic finite element analysis-based case studies with increasing complexity. The methodology is first tested over two target power density profiles obtained by the finite element forward problem and set over the surface of an axisymmetric convex cookware. Then, the methodology is verified with four arbitrary non-smooth power density profiles. The results show that the proposed method is suitable for solving simultaneous design optimization problems in induction heating systems, improving the optimization complexity capability.