Patent ID: 7022953

Claim:
A electromagnetic fluid heating apparatus, comprising: a chamber that substantially confines electromagnetic energy of an electromagnetic field there within to form a cavity that exhibits resonances; and positioned within the chamber where a component of the electromagnetic field is large, a fluid flow channeling structure through which fluid flows, the fluid flow channeling structure comprising; a base member exhibiting a thickness and an outer perimeter extending substantially to peripheral walls of the chamber, the base member comprising a material to substantially convert electromagnetic energy to heat energy to heat fluid flowing through the channeling structure; channel walls exhibiting a thickness and extending outward from the base member, forming sequential adjacent channels through which fluid flows, each of a plurality of the sequential channels sharing a common wall with an adjacent channel, the channel walls comprising a material that substantially converts electromagnetic energy to heat energy to heat the fluid between the channel walls, and with the channel walls exhibiting a height substantially less than a dimension of the base member so that the fluid can be concentrated where a component of the electromagnetic field is large; and an electromagnetically transmissive cover member exhibiting a thickness and an outer perimeter extending substantially to peripheral walls of the chamber, and positioned to confine the fluid in the chamber between the channel walls and to enable substantial penetration of electromagnetic energy there through to heat the fluid, so that fluid is heated directly by electromagnetic energy penetrating through the transmissive cover into the fluid and indirectly by heat from the channel walls and base member.