Heat-transfer analysis of indirect moxibustion using unsteady conjugate heat-transfer solutions

Abstract

A conjugate heat-transfer problem in indirect moxibustion was analyzed by solving the problem of unsteady convective heat transfer coupled with conductive heat transfer. The interaction of a combustion-heated paper disk of moxa with the body and surrounding fluid was revealed by examining the body’s unsteady temperature distributions. From the grid- and time step-independent solutions to the present conjugate heat-transfer problem, the effective stimulation periods for four widths of paper disk, along with the depths of the effective stimulation zones, were obtained. Further, it was found that the effective stimulation zone becomes larger and lasts longer for the wider paper disks, whereas the depth of the effective stimulation zone is saturated beyond a certain size. Lastly, the streamline pattern and the history of the spatially averaged heat-transfer coefficient, which is related to the convective heat transfer between the body and the surrounding fluid, were determined.