ABSTRACT
The use of microwave energy for industrial processing was of interest soon after the discovery of its ability to heat foods. In fact, beginning in 1950 and for over 20 years thereafter, the pundits focused upon the great opportunities to be had in industrial processing with microwaves [1-3]. A special issue of the Journal ofMicrowave Power, published in 1973, surveyed the status of industrial microwave processing in the United States, Europe, and Japan [4-6]. Very few persons believed that consumer microwave ovens would be the sensational appliance they have become. How wrong the pundits were is easily seen in Table 1, which illustrates the approximate relative sizes of the two markets. (Note: While all the numbers in the table are approximate, a recent article presented a similar set of numbers for the installed megawatts of microwave power for consumer ovens and industrial systems [7].
