New neurophysiological human thermal model based on thermoreceptor responses
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ORIGINAL PAPER
New neurophysiological human thermal model based on thermoreceptor responses Mohamad El Kadri 1,2
&
Fabrice De Oliveira 1 & Christian Inard 2 & François Demouge 1
Received: 23 April 2020 / Revised: 6 August 2020 / Accepted: 7 August 2020 # ISB 2020
Abstract A new neurophysiological human thermal model based on thermoreceptor responses, the NHTM model, has been developed to predict regulatory responses and physiological variables in asymmetric transient environments. The passive system is based on Wissler’s model, which is more complex and refined. Wissler’s model segments the human body into 21 cylindrical parts. Each part is divided into 21 layers, 15 for the tissues and 6 for clothes, and each layer is divided into 12 angular sectors. Thus, we have 3780 nodes for the tissues and 1512 for clothes. The passive system simulates heat exchange within the body and between the body and the surroundings. The active system is composed of the thermoregulatory mechanisms, i.e., skin blood flow, shivering thermogenesis, and sweating. The skin blood flow model and the shivering model are based on thermoreceptor responses. The sweating model is that of Fiala et al. and is based on error signals. The NHTM model was compared with Wissler’s model, and the results showed that a calculation based on neurophysiology can improve the performance of the thermoregulation model. The NHTM model was more accurate in the prediction of mean skin temperature, with a mean absolute error of 0.27 °C versus 0.80 °C for the original Wissler model. The prediction accuracy of the NHTM model for local skin temperatures and core temperature could be improved via an optimization method to prove the ability of the new thermoregulation model to fit with the physiological characteristics of different populations. Keywords Human thermoregulation model . Thermoreceptor . Neurophysiology . Non-uniform transient environments
Introduction Indoor heat stress can significantly reduce the wellbeing and performance of occupants by between 2.4 and 5.8% (Lamb and Kwok 2016). In this context, the design of energy systems should incorporate an assessment of the impact of dynamic and asymmetric indoor spaces on the thermal comfort of occupants. The model currently used in the ISO 7730 (1984) and ASHRAE 55 (2004) standards to assess thermal sensation and classify indoor environments is the PMV-PPD indexes developed by Fanger (1970). These indexes are designed for static and uniform environments.
* Mohamad El Kadri [email protected] 1
Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment CSTB, Marne-la-Vallée, France
2
Laboratory of Engineering Sciences for Environment (LaSIE), UMR CNRS 7356, La Rochelle University, La Rochelle, France
For human beings, the thermoreceptors located in the skin (peripheral thermoreceptors) and the core (core thermoreceptors) measure the skin and core temperature and transduce them into electric impulses which are then sent to the hypothalamus. Thermoregulatory commands are then dispatched to the effectors, i.e., the
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