The progress in numerical mathematics and computation technologies has recently resulted in an increase in the adequacy of modeling, decrease of the software and hardware costs, and eventually a notable growth of the use of advanced computer simulations to accelerate the design of telecommunication equipment, computer systems, networking, etc. Industrial engineers dealing with microwave thermal processing also become more interested in modeling, but for most of them this arena remains unexplored. They seem to lack both general information and technical data on current computational opportunities [1]. The present paper studies the software market and capabilities of particular electromagnetic codes with respect to the needs of microwave power engineering. For practitioners in this field, it would be feasible to have software calculating at least the dissipated power of the specific mode and preferably SAR patterns and energy coupling. This review considers 16 full-wave 3D commercial codes satisfying this criterion (products by Ansoft, ANSYS, Agilent, as well as MAFIA, XFDTD, QuickWave-3D codes, etc.). Their status in the microwave power engineering is given by the Actual Use / Potential Use ratio, which is currently 8/8. FEM and FDTD prevail as the kernel computational methods. Interfaces appear to be very different: some vendors have developed their own advanced ones; others offer AutoCAD/ACIS export/import functions or work with some CAD software. CST and QWED have overcome the major disadvantage of the classical FDTD method (the stairs-like approximation of the cells): Microwave Studio and QuickWave-3D allow an accurate modeling of curvilinear regions. Some codes possess an optimization option; three companies offer a possibility of solving the coupled problems. CST, Matra S&I, and QWED have highest ratings regarding vendors' dedication to the MW heating applications. They seem to be expecting a reasonable market there and looking forward to working for the field. Some useful features have been already implemented in their codes, and this process continues. The review also includes basic financial information and several examples illustrating what commercial codes can provide for microwave power engineering. Since the considered codes have been originally developed for communication applications, they are adapted to MW heating very differently and thus should be carefully analyzed in the context of the application. Although their costs are still relatively high, given the possibility to remarkably reduce the traditional expensive cut-and-try phase in industrial design the investment might be feasible. This review does not intend to recommend any of the codes, but rather pretends to offer an original practical database. 

* This work was supported in part by Center for Industrial Mathematics and Statistics at WPI.

[1]. A. Palombizio and V.V. Yakovlev, Parallel Worlds of Microwave Modeling and Industry: a Time to Cross? Microwave World, Vol. 20,
      No. 2, pp. 14-19, 1999.