Microwave radiometry for continuous non-contact temperature measurements during microwave heating

Temperature measurement during microwave heating in industrial and commercial processes can improve quality, throughput, and energy conservation. Conventional ways of measuring temperature inside a microwave oven cavity are costly, inconvenient, or unsuitable for high-volume industrial applications. In this paper, we describe the theory of microwave radiometry as applied to the measurement of temperature during microwave heating. By extending the theory of radiative transfer to the case of thermal microwave radiation inside a cavity, we show that the same characteristics which make a microwave cavity suitable for heating materials also assist in obtaining meaningful temperature data with microwave radiometry. We present experimental data from the heating of liquid and solid materials which confirm the essential features of the theory, and show agreement between this method and more conventional methods of +/-4 degrees C.