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In my first few months at ESA I had the opportunity to support a pilot study conducted in the Large Diameter Centrifuge of the ESA Life Support and Physical Sciences Laboratory. The study focused on the effect of hypergravity on burn wounds in leeches (Hirudo Verbana).
It is well-established that microgravity reduces the capacity of tissue repair compared to the 1g environment. However, there has not been significant research into the effect of hypergravity on the recovery of complex wounds, such as burn injuries. The study monitored the differences in burn wound recovery at various gravity levels up to 10g.
The leeches received a thermal burn with a brass heating element at different burn depths. However, to avoid injury of the deeper muscle and intestine tissue, the researchers wanted to know for how long (and at what temperature) they should apply the heating element. To estimate this, I created a simple thermal mathematical model to predict the temperature of different layers — and therefore the degree of burn — after a certain contact time. In the end, the recommendation was to apply the heating element for no longer than 4s to avoid third-degree burns.
An unusual — but fascinating — project!
Simple thermal mathematical model of heating element and leech
Temperature of leech with the heating element at 85 °C
Large Diameter Centrifuge