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Mass Transfer
Study and design of cylindrical and spherical thermoseeds for cancer
treatment using Comsol Multiphysics
Dunie Navarro
3/14/2013
Prof. Daniel Lepek
Introduction
Thermal ablation consists of heat treatments of cancerous tumors delivered at temperatures above
50C for shorts periods of time. Its result is to terminate entire tumors, killing malignant cells and
avoiding its effect on healthy tissue. The principle of operation of thermal ablation is to concentrate
thermal energy to create a hyperthermic injury by using a needle-like applicator [1]. Thermal ablation is
mainly used when surgery is not recommended on a patient. Its application is effective, low cost and can
provide relief or cure completely from cancer.
The project at hand focuses on the application of thermal ablation using small spheres made of
ferromagnetic material. A magnetic field induces a volumetric generation of thermal energy in the
thermoseeds, increasing the seed temperature and its surroundings.
First, a spherical thermoseed will be modeled to analyze the heat transfer behavior to the
surrounding of the ferromagnetic material, cancerous tissue. Properties of the spherical thermoseed are
given in Table 1.
Table 1 Thermosphere Properties
Parameters Values
Thermoseed thermal conductivity (W/m-K) 10
Tissue thermal conductivity (W/m-K) 0.5
Sphere radius (mm) 1
Body temperature (C) 37
Total energy generated (W) 1.0
To model heat transfer behavior of the spherical thermoseed consider Poissons Equation [2]:
(1)
Considering heat transfer in the radial direction in spherical coordinates,
(2)
The equation above can be solved analytically or numerically by the finite difference method of the finite
element method with the boundary conditions
(B.C 1)
( )
(B.C 2)
Using Comsol Multiphysics software package, heat transfer equations to model heat transfer
behavior are built in and readily solved using algorithms with standard numerical methods implemented.
Second, a new design for a thermoseed needed to be analyzed for similar heat transfer behavior to
the spherical thermoseed. A cylindrical thermoseed is the proposed design to treat cancerous tissue. From
the given radius of the sphere, volumetric and surface area constants are calculated. To determine the
length and radius of the cylinder, the surface area and volume formulas are set equal to the spherical
volume and surface area constants. A system of two equations for r and L can be solved; giving
appropriates values of the radius and length of the cylinder. The thermocylinder properties are given in
Table 2.
Table 2 Thermocylinder Properties
Parameters Values
Thermoseed thermal conductivity (W/m-K) 10
Tissue thermal conductivity (W/m-K) 0.5 (Humans), 0.32 (Rats)
Cylinder radius (mm) 1.225
Body temperature (C) 37
Total energy generated (W) 1.0
Cylinder length (mm) 1.633
To model heat transfer behavior of the cylindrical thermoseed consider Poissons Equation:
(1)
Considering heat transfer in the radial direction in cylindrical coordinates,
(2)
The equation above can be solved analytically or numerically by the finite difference method of the finite
element method with the boundary conditions
(B.C 1)
( )
(B.C 2)
The boundary conditions are identical for both geometries since both possess axisymmetric properties,
given at the center of the body. Cylindrical systems are readily solved in Comsol Multiphysics using the
required 2-D axisymmetric space.
Methods
Designs of a thermosphere and thermocylinder for treating cancerous tumors due to heat
generation were modeled using Comsol Multiphysics. The thermosphere concept had been implemented
as the current geometrical design of the medical device. The thermocylinder geometry needed to be
modeled as a possible competitor to the spherical thermoseed.
The spherical thermoseed was modeled using 3D space model, Heat Transfer in Solids Physics
and Stationary Study Type. The chosen Geometry for the thermoseed-tissue system consisted of two
concentric spheres, inner sphere being the thermoseed and outer sphere being the tissue. Two Materials
were created to assign thermal properties to the geometries; mainly the materials thermal conductivities.
The Heat Transfer in Solids tab was modified to include a heat source in the inner sphere and a
temperature boundary condition in the surface of the outer sphere. To compute the set study, an Extra
Fine mesh was selected to give precise results depending on memory. In the Study tab the computation
was started to compute the required temperatures in the system. Using the methods to plot graphs from
the Results tab, all required quantities were plotted or computed accordingly. To compute the maximum
temperature in the tissue, the Derived Values tab was used and the extent of the lesion was computed by
trial and error using temperature measurements at a point.
To model the thermocylinder, all of the above steps were followed excepted for Geometry, where
two concentric cylinders were built and thermal conductivities assigned to each medium. Two studies
were set, Humans and Rats, to keep study results independent from each other.
Results and Discussion
Part I
Two geometries of ferromagnetic thermoseeds were characterized using heat transfer methods in
Comsol Multiphysics. In Part I, heat transfer in a spherical thermoseed was analyzed given certain
requirements of its geometry. The surface temperature profile and specified geometry of the thermoseed
inside tissue are presented in Figure 1.
Fig 1 Geometry and Surface Temperature of Spherical Thermoseed
The temperature scale on the right illustrates the profile starting in the top being the core
temperature and moving outwards to the set surface temperature. As heat is generated in the thermoseed,
it reaches the interface of the tissue and the thermoseed lowering temperature and dropping towards the
surface. Symmetry in the geometry guarantees ease to resolve the model equations in order to provide a
resultant temperature profile. Uniform distribution of the energy in the thermoseed is preserved as heat
transfer to the tissue given the possibility of heat traveling in all possible directions uniformly. From the
given surface profile it is inferred that temperature drops smoothly, avoiding sudden drops in temperature
to satisfy the boundary condition of body temperature at the surface of the tissue. To confirm the
proposed hypothesis, temperature profiles in the thermoseed and tissue regions were plotted in Comsol
from the study results. The temperature within the thermoseed is presented in Figure 2.
Fig 2 Temperature Profile in the Thermoseed
Temperature in the thermoseed drops steadily and slow due to its thermal conductivity and heat
generation within its material. Temperature drops from 457.5K to 453.4K (184.5-180.25 C) as given
above illustrating the low resistance to heat conduction within the ferromagnetic material. The shape of
the temperature drop is parabolic indicating a polynomial drop.
The temperature profile in tissue is presented in Figure 3. Given that the thermal conductivity of
tissue is twenty times lower than the thermoseed, its temperature drops exponentially up to the surface of
the tissue. The profile is characteristic of materials with similar thermal conductivities and boundary
conditions. From the plot, a maximum temperature and minimum temperature in the tissue region can be
calculated and considered as limits to the temperature profile. The value of maximum temperature at the
interface of the thermoseed and tissue is highly relevant given that tumors are to be treated at a specific
temperature.
Fig 3 Temperature Profile in Tissue
The heat flux through the tissue is provided in Figure 4 providing a measure of the transfer of
thermal energy in the tissue surrounding the thermoseed. For each temperature difference in the system,
heat flows from high to low temperature and its conduction is resisted by the thermal conductivity of the
material. Heat flux drops exponentially 85000 W/m
2
to zero after reaching the surface of the tissue in the
model. The total heat flux decreases as it flows from the thermoseed-tissue interface to the outer surface
of the system. From the given heat flux, temperature differences at different radius can be determined
since for each flux interval, a temperature difference exists. Interest in temperature differences is
considered when an intermediate temperature in the material needs to be determined. An intermediate
temperature of interest in the system is the lethal temperature for tissue, T
lethal
, the temperature at which
cancer tissue is efficiently treated. Along with this temperature, the maximum temperature, T
max
, in the
tissue needs to be determined as an upper bound for T
lethal.
Fig 4 Heat Flux within Thermoseed
The maximum temperature, T
max
, and the extent of lesion r
lesion
, radial location of at where the
tissue temperature reaches the lethal temperature, can be computed as functions of the thermal energy
generation (in W). The thermal heat generation can be allowed to change in order to calculate the
maximum temperature and r
lesion
.
Maximum temperature and extent of the lesion in the tissue region are plotted in Figure 5 as
functions of the rate of thermal energy generation,
()
()
()
0 273.15 0
0.1 324.47 1.1
0.2 338.79 1.9
0.3 353.10 2.7
0.4 367.42 3.3
0.5 381.74 3.8
0.6 396.06 4.2
0.7 410.37 4.6
0.8 424.69 4.9
0.9 439.01 5.2
1.0 453.33 5.5
1.1 467.64 5.7
1.2 481.96 5.9
1.3 496.60 6.1
1.4 510.59 6.3
1.5 524.91 6.5
2. Cylindrical Thermoseed (Humans)
()
()
()
0 273.15 0
0.1 323.40 1.2
0.2 336.65 1.9
0.3 349.89 2.6
0.4 363.15 3.1
0.5 376.39 3.6
0.6 389.64 4.0
0.7 402.89 4.3
0.8 416.14 4.6
0.9 429.39 4.8
1.0 442.64 5.1
1.1 455.88 5.3
1.2 469.14 5.5
1.3 482.38 5.7
1.4 495.63 5.9
1.5 508.88 6.1
2. Cylindrical Thermoseed (Rats )
()
()
()
0 273.15 0
0.1 330.78 1.6
0.2 351.41 2.6
0.3 372.04 3.4
0.4 392.67 4.0
0.5 413.30 4.5
0.6 433.93 4.9
0.7 454.56 5.3
0.8 475.19 5.6
0.9 495.83 5.9
1.0 516.45 6.1
1.1 537.08 6.4
1.2 557.71 6.6
1.3 578.35 6.8
1.4 598.98 6.9
1.5 619.61 7.1