Analysis of the clothing effect in the procedure of cryotherapy using computer simulation

This article discusses the effect of simulated shoes made of different materials on providing protection from exposure to cryogenic gas and discusses local changes in heat flow and temperature curve along the skin of the whole-body cryotherapy object (WBC). In the work protective shoes (protective layer) of various materials, such as cotton, wool, leather, and rubber, were considered and modeled. It was also shown that, due to a local excess, for a more effective WBC procedure it is necessary to achieve uniform temperature dependence along the length of the object under study. The numerical analysis in this work was carried out by modeling the process of non-stationary heat exchange through a multilayer object. The modeling of the WBC object skin included such layers as: epithelium, fat layer, and muscle layer. It was decided to simulate and solve the problem with the use of the finite element method by specialized software. To describe biological heat an equation was used using the Penns approximation. Cryogenic gas flow was described by a turbulent model. This article describes a model that is close to reality with some assumptions, but this model allows experimenting, without a harm to the patient, to increase the therapeutic effect. The results can be used for the most convenient choice of safety shoes, as well as to further improve the efficiency and safety of the patient.