Induction Cooking


Induction cooktops use the principal of magnetic induction to heat pots which heats food. This is one of the three main ways we cook food using electric appliances.


How it works:


Electrical Engineer Bill Kornrumpf worked on induction cooktops at General Electric and explains how they work in the video below:




Above: magnetic lines of flux shown in this diagram, the magnetic field collapses and grows at high frequency, warming the iron based pot.

Beginnings:


Some of the challenges for engineers in the making of induction stoves have been designing the high frequency power supplies and getting the device to be powerful enough to compete with regular calrod type stoves.


Below: the insides of an induction stove, coils on the top generate the magnetic field, while power conditioning apparatus underneath creates the high frequency power.
Below: small low cost induction unit from the 80s. Newer units have improved greatly in power.

Related Topics:

Dishwashers

The Microwave Oven

Electric Ranges and Calrods

12 Major Forms of Electric Light

The Fan

More Stuff

Article by M.W. and W.Kornrumpf
Sources:
Interview with W.Kornrumpf. Edison Tech Center. 2013


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