Magnetic Induction Heating for Pest Control – Technology Demonstrator

对于园艺和农业中日益严重的害虫控制问题，迫切需要一种负担得起的、可持续的解决方案，而磁感应加热可以提供一个解决方案。无脊椎动物体积小，导电性差，但由于它们的导电性是植物的几百倍，感应加热速率相应更高，这使得无脊椎动物害虫可以被有效地杀死，而不伤害寄主植物。没有毒素，最大的好处将是它的特异性；感应加热在其狭窄的处理区域之外是安全的，因此我们预计对其使用的监管很少，使该技术适用于无人驾驶车辆。我们的团队已经证明了磁感应加热控制害虫的概念，使用我们自己的大功率兆赫频率感应加热技术。然而，这项工作只在实验规模上进行，商业化应用所需的频率和移动性远远超出了目前传统感应加热器的标准。这项为期18个月的研究将测试扩大电力电子设备的可行性，并为园艺部门建立一个高频磁场发生器技术示范装置，以针对观赏种植者的藤蔓象鼻虫和其他害虫。该项目伙伴关系由三家微型中小企业组成。它将努力推动磁性技术的发展，并产生有价值的全球知识产权。

There is an acute need for an affordable, sustainable solution to the escalating problems of pest control in horticulture and agriculture, and magnetic induction heating can provide a resolution. Invertebrates are small-sized poor electrical conductors, but because they are hundreds of times more electrically conductive than plants, induction heating rates are proportionately higher, allowing invertebrate pests to be efficiently killed while leaving host plants unharmed. With no toxins, the big gains will be its specificity; induction heating is safe outside its narrowly-focused treatment-zone so we would anticipate that there will be little regulation on its use, making the technology appropriate for unmanned vehicles.Our team has proven the concept of magnetic induction heating for pest control using our own high-powered megahertz-frequency induction heating technology. However, the work has only been conducted at bench-scale, and the frequencies and mobility required for commercialising this application extends well beyond what is currently considered normal for traditional induction heaters.This 18-month study will test the feasibility of scaling-up the power electronics and build a high-frequency magnetic field generator technology demonstrator for the horticultural sector to target vine weevil and other pests for ornamental growers. The project partnership is formed from three micro-SMEs. It will be pushing hard at the boundaries of magnetics technology and generate valuable world-wide intellectual property.