Master of Science / Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering / Punit Prakash / The primary objective of this research is to implement an experimentally validated computational model to guide device design and selection of energy delivery strategies for treating chronic rhinitis by radiofrequency ablation. Chronic rhinitis is one of the most common global health problems. It is not life-threatening but has a severe impact on quality of life. Direct cost by chronic rhinitis is enormous and places a burden on societies. Radiofrequency ablation is proposed to be as an efficient treatment providing symptom relief and avoiding side effects compared to traditional therapies. Three-dimensional finite element method (FEM) models were developed to investigate RFA devices and energy delivery strategies. FEM computational models could provide vital variable profiles that are technically challenging to determine through experiments. Also, computer simulation could reduce the number of experimental procedures during the device design process. First, single pair bipolar RF ablation experiments were performed to validate FEM simulations using the same geometry as in experiments. The data from experiments and simulations had a high correlation (R = 0.91). Second, the Neurent basket electrode was employed in experimental ablations in egg white, for comparison against FEM simulations. Smaller lesion sizes were observed in experiments compared to simulations, attributed to thermal convection that was not accounted for in simulation. Finally, FEM simulations were used to investigate the effects of basket electrode diameter, length, and applied power on ablation zone formation. A shorter but wider electrode with a maximum spacing distance between two pairs of electrodes is preferable to create discontiguous ablation zones. 50% duty cycle was recommended to create thermal ablation zones with gradually increasing temperature and sufficiently large thermal lesion volumes.

Clinical hyperthermia refers to treatment of tumors by heating the lesions between 40 and 45° C. Several clinical trials have demonstrated that hyperthermia provides significant improvements in clinical outcomes for a variety of tumors, especially when combined with radiotherapy. However, its routine clinical application is still not optimal and major improvements are needed. The temperature distributions achieved are far from satisfactory and improved temperature control and monitoring are still in need of further development. The use of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) has emerged as a good method to achieve local heat delivery when combined with near-infrared (NIR) laser. GNPs have a plasmon resonance frequency that can be tuned to absorb strongly in the NIR region where tissue absorption of laser light is minimal, allowing for less tissue heating and better penetration. For further development of the technique and appropriate clinical translation, it is essential to have a computational method by which the temperature distribution within the tumor and surrounding tissue can be estimated. Previously, our group developed a technique to estimate the temperature increase in a GNP-filled medium, by taking into account the heat generated from individual GNPs. This method involved a two-step approach combining the temperature rise due to GNPs and the solution to the heat equation using the laser light as heat source. The goal of this project was to develop a one-step approach that calculates the temperature distribution using the solution to the heat equation with multiple heat source terms, the laser light, and each individual GNP. This new method can be of great use in developing a treatment planning technique for GNP-mediated thermal therapy including hyperthermia.

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A primary motivation for this research comes from the need to improve the ability of polymer-matrix composites to withstand lightning strikes. In particular, we are concerned with lightning strike damage in composite wind turbine blades. The direct effects of lightning strike on polymer-matrix composites often include rapid temperature rise, melting or burning at the lightning attachment points, and mechanical damage due to lightning-induced magnetic force and acoustic shock wave. The lightning strike damage accumulation problem is essentially multiphysic. The lightning plasma channel discharges an electric current up to 200 kA, inducing a severe heat flux at the surface of the composite structure, as well as generating Joule heating through the composite structure. The resulting electro-thermo-mechanical response of the composite structure may include matrix degradation and decomposition, delamination, and fiber breakage and sublimation, thus leading to catastrophic failure. The existing studies related to the lightning strike damage in composites ignored the lightning channel radius expansion during the initial lightning discharge and lacked adequate treatment of material phase transitions. These assumptions significantly simplify the mathematical treatment of the problem and affect the predictive capabilities of the models. Another common feature of these limited studies is that they all focused on carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer-matrix (CFRP) composites, which are electrically conductive. In the present thesis, the thermal responses and thermal ablations in a non-conductive glass-fiber-reinforced polymer-matrix (GFRP) composite wind turbine blade and in a conductive CFRP composite wind turbine blade are studied, respectively. In the case of non-conductive GFRP composite wind turbine blade, prior to the thermal response and thermal ablation analysis, a finite element analysis is performed to calculate the electric field due to lightning stepped leader to estimate the dielectric breakdown of the non-conductive composite wind turbine blade. The estimation of dielectric breakdown is used to determine whether Joule heating needs to be included in the problem formulation. To predict the thermal response and thermal ablation in the composite structure due to lightning strike, a physics-based model describing surface interaction between the lightning channel and the composite structure has been developed. The model consists of: (i) spatial and temporal evolution of the lightning channel as a function of the electric current waveform; (ii) temporary and spatially non-uniform heat flux and current density (in the case of electrically conductive CFRP composite or if dielectric breakdown occurs in the case of non-conductive GFRP composite) generated at the composite structure; and (iii) nonlinear transient heat transfer problem formulation for layered anisotropic composites that includes the moving boundary of the expanding lightning channel and the phase transition moving boundary associated with instantaneous material removal due to sublimation. The model has been employed to investigate the thermal responses and thermal ablations in a GFRP composite laminated panel used in a Sandia 100-meter all-glass baseline wind turbine blade (SNL 100-00) and a typical CFRP composite laminated panel subjected to lightning strike. The temperature-dependent directional material properties for both the GFRP and CFRP composites have been determined in this thesis using a micromechanics approach based on the experimental data for fibers and resin. An integrated Matlab-ABAQUS numerical procedure features the aforementioned aspects (i), (ii), and (iii) of the developed model. The obtained results include the evolution of temperature fields in the composite laminated panel and the progressive shape change of the composite laminated panel due to thermal ablation. The predictions of thermal ablation in the CFRP composite laminated panel are validated by reported experimental results.

Laser thermal ablation (LTA) is an in situ ablative technique that induces heat destruction of liver tumours. Despite increasing clinical use of LTA, reports of long-term outcomes and limitation of treatment in specific cohorts of patients with liver tumours are lacking. In addition, the mechanisms of action of therapy have not been fully elucidated. This study highlights the long-term clinical results and limitations of LTA in the treatment of a cohort of patients with unresectable colorectal liver metastases and examines the mechanisms of action of thermal ablative injury in a murine model.

Laser micromachining has become increasing prominent in various industries given its speed, lack of tool wear, and ability to create features on the order of micrometres. Inherent stochastic variations from thermal ablation along with detrimental heat effects, however, limit the feasibility of achieving high precision. The high number of control parameters that make laser micromachining versatile also hinders optimization due to high exploration time. The introduction of high intensity nonlinear ablation leads to more precise cuts but at a much higher, often restrictive, cost. The work here shows that by combining an imaging technique frequently used in ophthalmology called optical coherence tomography (OCT) with a machining platform, in situ observation of ablation can be made. This combination, known as in-line coherent imaging (ICI), allows information to be gathered about the dynamics of the ablation process. Experimental results show that quality cutting of silicon can be achieved with thermal ablation and at a wavelength of 1070 nm. This result is surprising as silicon absorbs this wavelength very weakly at room temperature. It is shown here that a nonlinear thermal dependence in absorption allows a cascaded absorption effect to enable machining. With the aid of ICI, the model shown here is able to accurately predict the thermal ablation rate and help understand the ablation process. The high quality cutting achieved allows for a more cost efficient alternative to current techniques using ultraviolet diode-pumped solid state (UV DPSS) systems. Where thermal effects such as heat-affected zones (HAZ) cannot be overcome, high intensity nonlinear ablation allows the processing of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) for high frequency arrays (used in ultrasound applications) at speeds two orders of magnitude greater than found in the literature, and potential feature sizes (< 100 µm) in polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) unachievable by thermal ablation. The ablation mechanism here is Coulombic explosion (CE), which is a non-thermal process. Coupled with demonstrated manual and automatic feedback abilities of ICI, the processes shown here may open up new avenues for fabrication. / Thesis (Master, Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy) -- Queen's University, 2011-05-31 15:02:55.547

Laser thermal ablation (LTA) is an in situ ablative technique that induces heat destruction of liver tumours. Despite increasing clinical use of LTA, reports of long-term outcomes and limitation of treatment in specific cohorts of patients with liver tumours are lacking. In addition, the mechanisms of action of therapy have not been fully elucidated. This study highlights the long-term clinical results and limitations of LTA in the treatment of a cohort of patients with unresectable colorectal liver metastases and examines the mechanisms of action of thermal ablative injury in a murine model.

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