Electroheating modeling in metal processing: a review

The current development of electroheating modeling and its application to metal industry are reviewed in this paper. Particular attention is given to formulating the coupled electromagnetic and induced heat transfer and fluid flow problems that arise in the metal industry. Following a brief introduction of the nature of electroheat problems, the formulation of electromagnetic, heat transfer, and fluid dynamic phenomena is presented. The numerical methods used for electromagnetic modeling including the finite element, and finite difference are then examined. Several commercially available software packages for electromagnetic modeling are also briefly assessed. Finally, the applications of these modeling efforts to the induction heating or melting problems are discussed.