Testing Facilities

For evaluating RF applications, RFC has the industry’s most advanced hybrid RF/convection heating system in its testing laboratory in Millis, Massachusetts. The Macrowave™ OmniTherm™ Simulator was developed by RFC to conduct product trials and define the necessary parameters to heat or dry materials under production conditions. Through the use of this advanced hybrid RF heating system, RFC can accurately determine the scale-up requirements necessary to meet your production goals.

The Macrowave™ OmniTherm™ Simulator can apply up to 30kW of output power at an operating frequency of 40MHz. This system is a fully instrumented conveyorized heater-dryer that can apply RF and convection heat to diverse materials in a wide variety of modes.

This system permits RFC’s engineers to design Macrowave™ production heating/drying systems based on tests that simulate the passage of the material through a full-scale production system that might consist of a number of applicators in tandem, each powered by its own RF generator. Each generator/applicator section is referred to as a “zone.” It has exceptional versatility and can be configured to simulate virtually any production processing system that can utilize RF heating or drying.

• For each test, the appropriate Macrowave™ electrode array, such as a flat plate applicator, a staggered through-field applicator, or other proprietary configurations, can be quickly installed.
• For simulating a continuous stream of bulk product transported on a troughed conveyor, a special carrier is utilized. This carrier, fabricated of a material transparent to RF energy has sides sloping upward at 45º angles to simulate a segment of bulk product as it is conveyed through the Simulator’s RF applicator.
• RF pulsing can be effected in each of the simulated heating zones. On/off pulsing intervals can be set at an interminable number of combinations.
• Fiber optic temperature probes are utilized to monitor and record the internal temperature(s) of the material undergoing processing throughout its residence in the system. The surface temperature is monitored by means of an infrared temperature sensing device.

• The conveying system utilizes a flat belt for processing discreet products or a troughed belt for bulk materials. Conveyor belts of various materials and constructions are available to determine the type best suited to the application.
• A sequence of different power levels, heating durations and relaxation times to simulate the passage of material through a multi-zone system, i.e., a ‘recipe’, can be initiated by using the personal computer connected to the OmniTherm™ Simulator. A PC monitor also provides readouts of air temperature, belt speed, and RF power level.
• Air applied to the material during the RF Processing can be provided at temperatures from ambient to 121ºC (250ºF).
• Other programmable features include air temperature and direction of flow. Hot air can be applied to the material undergoing RF heating, impinged vertically from above or from below or from both directions simultaneously. A flow of hot air may be directed to flow over the surface of the material, either with or against the direction of travel.