Browsing by Subject "thermal"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
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    An Evaluation of Perfusion in Human Body Thermal Modeling through the Integration of a Porous Media Model for Tissue
    (2023-02) Smith, Christopher
    Historically there has been one primary method for modeling the thermal condition of the human body. This method, referencing the bioheat equation, has been and is used widely across the medical device and human comfort industries. The present work leverages an alternate method to biological tissue modeling by using a porous media approach. In doing so, it provides a more physiologically and anatomically representative alternative to human body thermal modeling to contrast the computationally efficient, but low fidelity bioheat method. The present work shows the feasibility of using this porous media approach for high fidelity tissue modeling, allowing both researchers and designers to have an alternative modeling method to leverage – ensuring that they can choose a method best fit for their need.
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    The Hygrothermal Performance of Cold Climate Basement Walls Retrofitted with Insulation and a Water Separation Plane
    (2015-06) Harmon, Anna
    This research studies the hygrothermal performance of hollow concrete masonry unit basement walls in cold climates retrofitted with insulation and a water separation plane. Four full-scale wall systems were constructed and instrumented for the research. Wall and soil hygrothermal data was collected in addition to the boundary conditions. The research expands the understanding of the effects of buoyant cavity flow in basement walls, the effects of a high ground water table on thermal transport, and the relationship between soil and wall moisture. The accuracy of a below-grade thermal-only computer simulation was evaluated for predicting the thermal performance of the experimental system. Further, independent simplified calculations were performed to confirm the postulated primary heat loss mechanism in basements with well insulated walls and to explain the non-intuitive thermal observations made.