Electromagnetic and Thermal Characterization of a Solenoidal Inductor Coil Using FEM Applied to Cocoa Bean Roasting

Damien C.N.A.; Xiomara T.C.C.; Luis B.F.J.; Alberto C.N.J.; Angel S.M.E.; Maximo R.A.N. · 2026 10th International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Research, ICMERR 2026 (2026) · DOI: 10.1109/icmerr70056.2026.11643183

Resumen

Conventional cocoa roasting systems based on electric resistors or combustion may have limitations in thermal uniformity and energy efficiency. Electromagnetic induction heating allows heat to be generated directly in conductive materials by means of eddy currents, improving thermal control. This work presents the electromagnetic and thermal characterization of a solenoidal copper inductor coil with internal water cooling by finite element modeling (FEM), aimed at its possible application in cocoa bean roasting systems. A three-dimensional multiphysics model was implemented in COMSOL Multiphysics under an excitation of 50 V RMS at 30 kHz. The model couples magnetic fields in the frequency domain, electric circuit representation, heat transfer in solids and laminar flow to consider induced currents, system impedance, Joule heating and internal circulation of the refrigerant. A geometrically scaled configuration (S = 0.2) was used to reduce the computational cost while maintaining the original geometric proportions of the system. The results show a stable magnetic flux distribution, predominantly inductive impedance behavior and controlled thermal response under internal convective cooling.

Instituciones: Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas; Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola