Dual reciprocity boundary element method for solving thermal wave model of bioheat transfer

Abstract

The newly developed dual reciprocity boundary element method (DRBEM) was extended to solve the thermal wave model of bioheat transfer (TWMBT) and a practical algorithm was established. A preliminary simulation of the temperature evolution in a two dimensional zone under certain boundary conditions and micro wave heating was conducted as a numerical illustration for the method and some meaningful conclusions were drawn. The validity of DRBEM was testified through a comparison with finite difference method (FDM) under one-dimensional calculation. Owing to its unique advantages like not confined by the complex shape of biological bodies, no need of discretization of the inner domain, save vast CPU time and easy to deal with different bioheat models, DRBEM may become an important approach for predicting and controlling the transient temperature field of biological bodies under hyperthermia or hypothermia.