Thermal analysis of a 3D printed thermal manikin inside an infant incubator

Abstract

Preterm thermal manikins are essential tools for better understanding of the heat transfer processes inside infant incubators. In the present study, the 3D printing technique is used to build a new type of thermal manikins representing a preterm neonate 35 weeks of gestational age in the 50th percentile. This manikin consists of six segments heated separately from their inner surfaces using Nichrome resistance wires. The temperature at the outer surface is measured in different locations using J-type thermocouples. The measured temperatures are set as feedback to the proportional integral and derivative regulator which controls the power input to the heating wires to maintain a constant surface temperature of the different manikin segments. The manikin is nursed inside an infant incubator and shows good performance during the different scenarios analyzed. The effect of air temperature and ports opening on the convective and radiative heat losses from the thermal manikin are investigated. The results obtained in the present study show fair agreement with those obtained in the open literature on other types of virtual and real thermal manikins.