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Microwave Efficiency. Larry Moore ME 340 Fall 2010. Goal. Find the best place to put your food in the microwave for optimal energy transfer. Method.
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Microwave Efficiency Larry Moore ME 340 Fall 2010
Goal Find the best place to put your food in the microwave for optimal energy transfer Method Use a “Kill-A-Watt” meter to measure power to the microwave and a thermocouple to measure water temperature increase, then calculate the efficiency Assumptions Assume only microwave energy transfer, ignore any other forms of heat transfer
Results Explained • The emitter is in the back right side of the microwave unit. Objects placed in front of the emitter heat the fastest. • An object placed in front of the emitter will absorb a great deal of the microwave energy and prevent other objects from heating. • For the above reasons, the turntable promotes even heating by effectively spreading the microwave energy across the items being heated. • The microwave is more efficient when there is more surface area to absorb the radiation.
Notes • Interestingly, the microwave requires the same power to run no matter how much is in it • When the microwave is empty, most of the microwave energy is absorbed by the glass plate • Special thanks to Kevin Cole for the equipment