APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF HEATING A FEEDSTOCK USING MICROWAVE ENERGY

摘要

An apparatus for heating a feedstock using microwave energy, the apparatus has a feedstock receptacle, a vibrator which vibrates the receptacle so as to cause the feedstock to move relative to the receptacle, and a source of microwave energy arranged to direct microwave energy towards the receptacle. The vibrator vibrates the receptacle so as to cause a feedstock to describe a substantially helical path relative to the receptacle which results in substantially uniform heating of the feedstock by the microwave energy, regardless of a depth of a bed formed by the feedstock in the receptacle.