Experimental design and numerical validation of a low-cost water heater by electromagnetic induction

This study shows a new approach to heat water in a residential environment. An electromagnetic heating method is proposed. A steel bar inside a pipeline filled with water is heated by five arrangements of a copper coil which incites the steel bar by electromagnetic induction. Consequently, numerical simulation and experimental evaluation are compared. The outcomes evaluated two different scenarios: steady water and a water flow of 0.16 kg/s. Three rods demonstrated that current induction of 20 A at the surface of the steel bar heats at 157°C. Also, the maximum value reached is 58°C. Heating the water upon for those conditions, the proposed tankless instantaneous water heater (TIWH) reaches a temperature of 41.01°C with one rod but only reaches 37.92°C with three rods in a series configuration, in a parallel configuration, the maximum temperature reached was 28.73°C.