Insights into experimental evaluation of the non-fourier heat transfer model in biological tissues

Abstract

A comprehensive understanding of heat transfer mechanisms in biological tissues is essential for the advancement of thermal therapeutic techniques and the development of accurate bioheat transfer models. Conventional models often fail to capture the inherently complex thermal behavior of biological media, necessitating more sophisticated approaches for experimental validation and parameter extraction. In this study, the Two-Dimensional Three-Phase Lag (TPL) heat transfer model, implemented via the finite difference method (FDM), was employed to extract key phase lag parameters characterizing heat conduction in bovine skin tissue. Experimental measurements were obtained using a 450 nm laser source and two non-contact infrared sensors. The influence of four critical parameters was systematically investigated: heat flux phase lag ($τ_{q}$), temperature gradient phase lag ($τ_θ$), thermal displacement coefficient ($k^*$), and thermal displacement phase lag ($τ_{v}$). A carefully designed experimental protocol was used to assess each parameter independently. The results revealed that the extracted phase lag values were substantially lower than those previously reported in the literature. This highlights the importance of high-precision measurements and the need to isolate each parameter during analysis. These findings contribute to the refinement of bioheat transfer models and hold potential for improving the efficacy and safety of clinical thermal therapies.