Marcello Iasiello

Microwave ablation is a well-established therapy for liver tumors, but its efficacy is strongly influenced by blood perfusion. Most computational studies simplify perfusion as an isotropic sink, neglecting flow orientation. This work introduces the Antenna-Blood flow Relative Angle (ABRA) to quantify the effects of flow direction and velocity on ablation zone geometry using a commercial ECO Ceramic 14 G antenna. Ex vivo bovine liver experiments were performed under standardized conditions and used to calibrate and validate a computational model. The antenna was reverse engineered to reproduce its electromagnetic and thermal characteristics. A local thermal non-equilibrium framework incorporating directional perfusion was implemented to simulate microwave ablation for different ABRA values and blood flow velocities. Both blood flow orientation and velocity significantly affected lesion morphology. Upward-directed flow (0° ABRA) caused elongation of the coagulation zone along the flow axis, while downward-directed flow (180° ABRA) produced more compact and symmetric lesions. Increasing flow velocity amplified these effects, displacing the lesion and reducing its sphericity. Computational results showed strong agreement with experimental measurements, with mean discrepancies below 4%. The findings demonstrate that ABRA and perfusion velocity are key determinants of ablation zone size, shape, and symmetry. Incorporating these parameters into computational modeling and treatment planning could improve lesion predictability and completeness, supporting more personalized and effective strategies for liver tumor ablation.

Lithium-ion pouch cells are widely employed in energy storage systems across automotive, renewable energy, and portable electronics sectors. Despite their advantages, they remain vulnerable to thermal runaway — a critical safety concern triggered by excessive internal heat generation and insufficient dissipation. This study presents a coupled electro-thermal model to simulate temperature evolution and assess thermal runaway risk in Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt oxides (NMC) Li-ion pouch cells. The model solves charge and energy conservation equations, incorporating Joule and reversible heat generation, where the latter accounts for entropy changes during electrochemical reactions. The heat transfer mechanisms are modelled using validated correlations for natural and forced air convection. Model validation against experimental results 4C and 5C constant-current discharges showed good agreement, with root mean square errors (RMSE) of 1.17 °C and 0.84 °C, respectively. Simulations under natural convection revealed that narrow cell spacings (1–3 mm) lead to rapid heat accumulation, triggering thermal runaway in less than 0.4 h. In contrast, increasing the spacing to 8 mm delayed runaway onset to 0.61 h. Under forced convection, airflow at 4 m/s maintained peak temperatures below 35.2 °C, effectively preventing critical conditions. A 3D temperature field analysis confirmed core overheating under natural convection, with temperatures exceeding 168 °C for 1 mm spacing. These results highlight the necessity of precise thermal modeling and proper cooling strategies for thermal safety.

Keeping the battery temperature below a reasonable limit of 50 °C is a primary objective of battery thermal management systems (BTMSs). Accordingly, the battery available operating time (BAOT) can be defined as the time required for the battery maximum temperature to reach 50 °C, which could be adopted as a key indicator for safe and efficient operation. BAOT can be improved through different BTMS configurations. This work focuses on passive solutions, aiming to increase BAOT without requiring pumping power. The study numerically investigates the combined use of phase change materials (PCMs) and fins to evaluate their effectiveness in terms of time percentage improvement (TPI). A preliminary analysis is conducted to assess the need for PCMs and fins at three discharge rates, namely 1C, 3C, and 5C. The results indicate that PCMs are required under all operating conditions, while the use of fins is not always advantageous; in particular, at 1C, fins lead to a reduction in BAOT. The analysis then focuses on the 3C and 5C cases, where topology-optimized fins are employed to dump temperatures under these stress conditions. Three fin arc lengths (ψ_fin) and eight diffusion coefficients (R_f) are examined. The optimized fin configurations increase BAOT, achieving maximum TPIs of 10.61% and 7.69% for the 3C and 5C cases, respectively, both corresponding to ψ_fin = 2.75 mm and R_f = 0.10 mm. At 5C, BAOT is limited to only a few seconds; therefore, configurations with PCMs arranged in series are also analyzed using different combinations of four selected PCMs. When coupled with optimized fins, the PCM-in-series solutions yield further improvements, with maximum TPIs of 22.92% for 3C and 62.50% for 5C compared to the single-PCM configuration coupled with optimized fins. The results also show that the optimal diffusion coefficient and PCM arrangement strongly depend on the discharge rate.

Hyperthermia‐mediated drug delivery offers a promising strategy to enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy while minimizing systemic toxicity. Thermosensitive liposomes (TSLs) release their therapeutic payload in response to elevated temperature, enabling targeted delivery to tumor tissues. Here we introduce a hybrid multiscale model based on a Krogh cylinder approach to describe temperature‐sensitive liposome transport and drug release in tumor tissue. Spatial transport of liposomes and released drug in the vascular and interstitial domains is described by one‐dimensional (1D) transport equations, while intracellular drug internalization is represented by local compartmental (0D) kinetics. The model incorporates key physiological processes including blood flow, passive transvascular diffusion of liposomes, interstitial diffusion of released drug, and cellular uptake via receptor binding and internalization. The temperature field is calculated using the Pennes' bioheat equation, and its effects on physiological parameters—such as permeability, diffusivity, and blood velocity—are incorporated via temperature‐dependent functions. A sensitivity analysis was performed to identify dominant transport parameters. Microvascular permeability, tissue diffusivity and Krogh cylinder radius were identified as the most influential parameters affecting drug delivery. Simulation results revealed that a 30‐min preheating phase prior to drug administration significantly enhances treatment efficacy, increasing internalized doxorubicin concentrations by 29.4% while maintaining a low probability (5%) of tissue necrosis. This compact and computationally efficient model provides an effective framework for designing and optimizing hyperthermia‐assisted chemotherapy. Its computational efficiency and physiological detail make it specifically suitable for use in treatment planning and real‐time therapeutic decision‐making in solid tumors.

The breeding blanket is a key component of tokamaks, primarily responsible for extracting heat from fusion reactions and for tritium breeding, which is essential to ensure a fusion reactor’s fuel self-sufficiency. Recent technological advancements have led to the development of Dual-Cooled Lead–Lithium (DCLL) breeding blankets, which employ a liquid metal (specifically a Lead–Lithium eutectic alloy) as a heat transfer medium and tritium breeder, while helium gas is used to cool the structural components of the reactor. The interaction between the moving electrically conducting fluid and the strong magnetic field in the tokamak environment leads to magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effects. The latter are characterized by the induction of eddy currents within the fluid and resulting Lorentz forces generated by their interaction with the magnetic field, which cause additional pressure losses and reduce heat transfer efficiency. This work investigates the pressure drop experienced by a Lead–Lithium flow within a rectangular section conduit under the action of an external, uniform magnetic field of different intensities. An analytical model was developed to estimate the total MHD-induced pressure losses along the channel for different values of the external magnetic field intensity and then benchmarked against relative computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations carried out using COMSOL Multiphysics. This comparison allowed the validation of the analytical predictions as well as a better understanding of the influence of the applied magnetic field intensity on the overall pressure drop. Therefore, the aim of the analytical model is to provide analytical tools for reasonably accurate estimations of MHD pressure losses suitable for future preliminary design purposes.

Magnetic hyperthermia (MHT) is a minimally invasive cancer therapy exploiting the heat generated by magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) under an alternating magnetic field. This short review highlights recent efforts toward realistic modeling of MHT, focusing on the role of MNPs distribution, vascular architecture, and accurate bioheat modeling. This work discusses the advantages of advanced computational frameworks that integrate vascular networks and cellular internalization dynamics, validated against vivo data. These approaches enable optimized predictions of heat transfer and tumor damage, crucial for clinical translation. This work contributes by synthesizing recent validated modelling approaches and providing a concise comparison among bioheat formulations for magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia.