Analysis of thermal properties of peloids used in thalassotherapy centres.

Abstract

Peloids are heterogeneous systems and consist of mixtures of a solid substrate with mineral water or seawater used for therapeutic purposes in thermal spas or thalassotherapy centres. Thermotherapy is one of the therapeutic applications of peloids, that is, the use of heat for therapeutic purposes. There are different ways of applying peloids such as plasters, cataplasms or wrapping. These forms of application, named pelotherapy, are integrated in the marine cure made in thalassotherapy centres. Thermotherapy is used in health therapies, either for thermotherapeutic or cosmetic purposes. Analysis of thermal properties of peloids is a useful tool for studying peloids and evaluating their suitability from a thermotherapic point of view. This work focusses on the study of the thermal conductivity, the specific heat, and the thermal diffusivity of different peloids constituted by seawater as the liquid phase of the mixture.