The development of a wearable cooling system for use in elevated-temperature environments by military, fire-fighting, chemical-response, and other hazardous duty personnel is underway. Such a system is expected to reduce heat-related stresses, increasing productivity and allowable mission duration, to reduce fatigue, and to lead to a safer working environment. The cooling system consists of an engine-driven vapor-compression system assembled in a backpack configuration, to be coupled with a cooling garment containing refrigerant lines worn in close proximity to the skin. A 2.0 l fuel tank powers a small-scale engine that runs a compressor modified from the original air compression application to the refrigerant compression application here. A centrifugal clutch and reduction gear train system was designed and fabricated to couple the engine output to the refrigerant compressor and heat rejection fan. The system measured and weighed 4.46 kg. Testing was conducted in a controlled environment to determine performance over a wide range of expected ambient temperatures , evaporator refrigerant temperatures , and engine speeds (10,500–13,300 rpm). Heat removal rates of up to 300 W, which is the cooling rate for maintaining comfort at an activity level comparable to moderate exercise, were demonstrated at a nominal ambient temperature of . The system consumes fuel at an average rate of 0.316 kg/h to provide nominal cooling of 178 W for 5.7 h between refueling.
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June 2009
Design Innovations
Wearable Engine-Driven Vapor-Compression Cooling System for Elevated Ambients
Timothy C. Ernst,
Timothy C. Ernst
Cummins, Inc.
, Columbus, IN 47201
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Srinivas Garimella
Srinivas Garimella
George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering,
e-mail: srinivas.garimella@me.gatech.edu
Georgia Institute of Technology
, Atlanta, GA 30332-0405
Search for other works by this author on:
Timothy C. Ernst
Cummins, Inc.
, Columbus, IN 47201
Srinivas Garimella
George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology
, Atlanta, GA 30332-0405e-mail: srinivas.garimella@me.gatech.edu
J. Thermal Sci. Eng. Appl. Jun 2009, 1(2): 025001 (10 pages)
Published Online: August 20, 2009
Article history
Received:
December 1, 2008
Revised:
April 18, 2009
Published:
August 20, 2009
Citation
Ernst, T. C., and Garimella, S. (August 20, 2009). "Wearable Engine-Driven Vapor-Compression Cooling System for Elevated Ambients." ASME. J. Thermal Sci. Eng. Appl. June 2009; 1(2): 025001. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3159478
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