The main objective of this paper is to present numerical modeling and assessment of heat transfer in neonatology. In the present study, numerical simulation is performed over a simplified infant model with specific boundary conditions in a closed chamber. The proposed approach is based on threedimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation to capture the combined effect of air flow and heat transfer phenomena: natural convection and radiation heat transfer taking place around an infant and radiant lamp. A 3D model is numerically investigated using the commercial CFD package StarCCM+. The results presented are compared and found to be in qualitative agreement with the results available in the literature and published measurement data. K E Y W O R D S computational fluid dynamics, infant, natural convection, numerical simulation, radiant warmer, turbulence modeling 1 | INTRODUCTIONThere are varieties of healthcare devices, which provide heat and maintain a warm environment for newborn babies. These devices facilitate infants to maintain body temperature, evaporative water loss, and the desired metabolism under specific monitoring conditions. Heat losses in infants are vital parameters, which always need to be recovered. Incubators and radiant warmers are electromechanical devices that keep the infant warm and maintain thermal requirements.

Body heat loss management is the primary concern with respect to a newborn, as excess heat loss or gain leads to hypo‐ or hyperthermia, respectively. The aim of this article is to numerically investigate the convection and radiation heat transfer coefficient of a newborn nursed under a radiant warmer. The preterm neonate manikin has five body segments (head, trunk, leg, arms, and back) placed in a relaxed spine position. In the present study, numerical simulations are carried out for body temperature ranging between 32.5°C and 40.1°C. Ambient air temperature is chosen from 22.77°C to 30°C as preferred room temperature in the analysis. Airflow and heat transfer under the radiant warmer are analyzed in two operational modes, that is, power‐off and power‐on modes. In the power‐on mode, the convective heat transfer coefficient varies between 1.45 and 4.06 W/m2 K, whereas the radiative heat transfer coefficient varies between 0.08 and 3.28 W/m2 K under various operating conditions. The results obtained are numerically validated and found to be in fair agreement with the experimental results available in the open literature.