PROBLEM 5.

89
KNOWN: Irreversible thermal injury (cell damage) occurs in living tissue maintained at T 48C for a duration t 10s. FIND: (a) Extent of damage for 10 seconds of contact with machinery in the temperature range 50 to 100C, (b) Temperature histories at selected locations in tissue (x = 0.5, 1, 5 mm) for a machinery temperature of 100C. SCHEMATIC:

ASSUMPTIONS: (1) Portion of workers body modeled as semi-infinite medium, initially at a uniform temperature, 37C, (2) Tissue properties are constant and equivalent to those of water at 37C, (3) Negligible contact resistance. PROPERTIES: Table A-6, Water, liquid (T = 37C = 310 K): = 1/vf = 993.1 kg/m3, c = 4178 J/kgK, k = 0.628 W/mK, = k/c = 1.513 10-7 m2/s. ANALYSIS: (a) For a given surface temperature -- suddenly applied -- the analysis is directed toward finding the skin depth xb for which the tissue will be at Tb 48C for more than 10s? From Eq. 5.60,

T ( x b , t ) Ts 1/ 2 = erf x b 2 ( t ) = erf [ ] . Ti Ts
For the two values of Ts, the left-hand side of the equation is

Ts = 100o C :
The burn depth is

( 48 100 )o C = 0.825 ( 37 100 )o C

1/ 2

Ts = 50o C :

( 48 50 )o C = 0.154 ( 37 50 )o C

x b = [ w ] 2 ( t )

= [ w ] 2 1.513 107 m 2 s t

1/ 2

= 7.779 104 [ w ] t1/ 2 .

Continued...

PROBLEM 5.89 (Cont.)

Using Table B.2 to evaluate the error function and letting t = 10s, find xb as Ts = 100C: Ts = 50C: xb = 7.779 10-4 [0.96](10s)1/2 = 2.362 103 m = 2.36 mm xb = 7.779 10-4 [0.137](10s)1/2 = 3.37 103 m = 0.34 mm

< <

Recognize that tissue at this depth, xb, has not been damaged, but will become so if Ts is maintained for the next 10s. We conclude that, for Ts = 50C, only superficial damage will occur for a contact period of 20s. (b) Temperature histories at the prescribed locations are as follows.
97 87 Temperature, T(C) 77 67 57 47 37 0 15 Time, t(s) x = 0.5 mm x = 1.0 mm x = 2.0 mm 30

The critical temperature of 48C is reached within approximately 1s at x = 0.5 mm and within 7s at x = 2 mm.
COMMENTS: Note that the burn depth xb increases as t1/2.