A novel bioheat transfer model for a human body that includes heat convection and arterial flow

摘要

Heat transport in the human circulatory system is important due to its application in hypothermia and hyperthermia. In the present work, a 1D thermo-fluid model of the arterial tree is coupled with a multi-segment bioheat model, representing solid tissues of the human body. Solution to the thermo-fluid model is obtained by using a large network of elastic vessels. The heat exchange between tissues and arteries occurs by convection in larger arteries and by perfusion in smaller ones. A core region, including the heart provides the inlet conditions for the fluid equations. The thermo-regulatory processes of the inner organs are also included in the model. Our results show enhanced energy exchange, suggesting that inner convection has an important role to play in the human body thermal balance with its environment. Simulations are also performed for different conditions, including exercise and surrounding state to understand their effects on the human body energy transport.