Partial body cryotherapy in confined cryosaunas: effects of inherent thermal stratification

G. Polidori, D. Anger, F. Bogard, F. Beaumont, B. Bouchet, S. Murer, R. Taiar

Abstract: Partial Body Cryotherapy (PBC) is generally used for therapeutic purposes and its positive effects on a wide range of diseases are unquestionable. The efficiency of cryotherapy protocols relies on the perceived intensity of the thermal shock (i.e. the difference between body and ambient temperatures) as well as its duration (between 1 and 3 minutes). This study aims at modelling the thermal transfers between the human body and its environment during a PBC session. A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method has been applied to investigate all thermo-physical processes involved during a cryotherapy session. Modelling the convective transfers between the human body, the cryogenic fluid and the ambient air allowed highlighting a thermal stratification phenomenon depicted in this article by 2D temperature fields. Results also showed that the temperature throughout the cabin is much higher than the temperature needed. This study proves that a CFD method is suitable for modelling the thermo-physical processes associated with PBC. Developing a numerical framework in this field offers promising prospects in terms of improvements in existing PBC protocols, starting with optimizations of the air/nitrogen mixing processes.


Series on Biomechanics, Vol.32, No.2 (2018), 12-17

Keywords: CFD; nitrogen; Partial Body cryotherapy (PBC); thermal stratification; VOF

Date published: 2018-08-20