Radiofrequecy Equipment

Radio Frequency Technology: How it works?

Radio Frequency (RF) dielectric heating is a drying and thermal processing technology based on the dissipation of electromagnetic energy within the product. Unlike conventional techniques, where heat is transferred to the product through its surface from an external heat source by conduction, convection or irradiation, a RF field generates heat directly inside the entire product mass. That is why the related mechanism miscalled "endogenous" or "volumetric", the heat generation is instantaneous and allows a rapid, uniform and perfectly controlled process.

The RF heating mechanism, excluding the materials (like metals) which are good conductors of electric current, is related to the so called "dielectric losses" Dielectric losses are caused by the vibration and rotation of polar or polarized molecules and by the polarization and translation movement of ionic particles inside the material, induced by the quick (several million times per second) polarity reversal of the RF field. This can be interpreted as if the electromagnetic field is absorbed and converted into thermal energy by the effect of the rapid movement of polarized molecules and ions.

Water molecules are highly polar, more than all substrates in which water can normally be found, and many ionic species are usually dissolved in water. Therefore, RF electromagnetic fields can heat up very quickly materials containing water. In particular RF has the ability to evaporate water rapidly, efficiently and selectively from many substrates, which enables their users to obtain the maximum benefits in terms of product quality, reduced operating costs, high flexibility and reliability.