DESIGN AND EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF

CIRCULATING LIQUID COOLED VEST

ABSTRACT
Human body generates heat by different processes including metabolism and performance of any
activity. This heat is then dissipated by actions like sweating. An individual experiences heat
stress and anxiety while performing any activity and heavy clothing retains the warmth. To
provide comfort and ease to the body this heat must be removed. Personal cooling garments
address this problem by providing a portable solution. There exist several technologies in the
international market related to personal cooling, but they are less common in a country like
Pakistan. Our project aims at providing the handy and manageable solution at low cost and using
easily available modules. We believe that by introducing a newer technology, research and
development in this field will increase and smarter solutions will result. Our cooling method
employs circulation of water cooled through thermoelectric system, housing a heat exchanger,
and batteries for powering it. Experimentation will be done at different intensity of activities to
note the performance.
 INTRODUCTION
1.1. PROBLEM STATMENT

The extent of heat stress exposure depends on the environment, work demands, and clothing.
Heat stress may also impair cognitive function, leading to poor decision-making and careless
work practices. Of primary consideration in assessing heat stress are the environmental factors of
air temperature, humidity, air movement, and radiant heat. High air temperature and radiant heat
load can add heat to the body while excessive humidity can lower the rate of evaporation, the
bodys primary means of heat dissipation. The physiological impact of these environmental
related heat stress factors can be greatly amplified by clothing and work demands. When
physiological adaptations to heat have reached their limits in compensable heat stress ensues.
Strategies to control exposure to heat stress in protective ensembles include work with a periodic
intervals, intermittent work coupled with cooling system during the rest phase, continuous
cooling during uninterrupted work, continuous cooling coupled with intermittent work, and self-
limiting work breaks.

To reduce the heat stresses liquid cooling vest system should be introduced to give the
comfortable environment in high temperature conditions. This system provides the wearer relief
from heat stress, even when worn under heavy, insulating clothing and is sure to appeal to a wide
variety of people who work and play outdoors, for whom no other practical & effective personal
cooling solution exists.

To achieve a portable solution to combat heat stress and its consequences.

To achieve results at low cost.
To introduce this new concept in our society and to encourage experimentation and
research activities to improve the technology.

1.2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To achieve an optimal solution of energy crisis

To achieve a better replacement of more consuming energy equipments.
To achieve such a design which Is cost effective and have more advantages

1.3. LITERATURE REVIEW

A remarkable increase in air conditioning demand is being observed in last few decades. Air Conditioning
demands in 169 countries are greater than 45 times than in USA and consider whole world than it is 50
times greater than USA[1]. In this year 50 million A.C sold in china. Netherlands environmental
assessment agency concluded that increment of 72% A.C demand at the end of current century [2].
According to a research 20% demand is increasing in Pakistan every year [3].
The main focus of air conditioning vests is to reduce the human thermal stress by lowering the body
temperature within the normal range. However extent of heat stress exposure depends on the
environment, work demands, and clothing. Heat stress may also impair cognitive function, leading to
poor decision-making and careless work practices. The physiological impact of these environmental
related heat stress factors can be greatly amplified by clothing and work demands. When physiological
adaptations to heat have reached their limits in compensable heat stress ensues. To reduce the heat
stresses liquid cooling vest system should be introduced to give the comfortable environment in high
temperature conditions. This system provides the wearer relief from heat stress, even when worn under
heavy, insulating clothing and is sure to appeal to a wide variety of people who work and play outdoors,
for whom no other practical & effective personal cooling solution exists.

A considerable amount of research into garments for protecting human against hot and cold having
temperatures above 50 C and below 10C conditions has been reported[123]. Interest in the use of
conditioned garments has been further enhanced as it is less always economically viable or practically
feasible to carry out changes at the macro environmental level, to bring about a reduction in thermal stress
to the workers. Research has shown that personal conditioning systems are an economical and effective
means of reducing heat stress and extending working times in thermally stressful environments. Recent
studies on cooling garments has shown that personal conditioning systems are an economical and
effective means of reducing heat stress and extending working times in thermally stressful
environments.[1],[2],[3]

In spite of several researches performed on cooling garments, a few experimental results are given by
different researchers on cooling jacket are Duncan research on two males pedaling a bicycle ergo meter
for 60 minutes, in 11 experimental sessions []. One session involved wearing no garment in a neutral
environment; two sessions involved wearing no garments in a hot environment; and eight sessions
involved using a dry ice jacket in similar environments. The eight sessions incorporated two levels of
temperature (35 and 45C), two levels of pocket insulation (low and high) and two levels of dry surface
area (low and high). Duncan (1975) found that the mean heart rate using a dry ice jacket was 16 bpm
lower than without it. The mean Tc was 0.59 C lower with the jacket than without the jacket. The core
temperature rose by 0.88C for the high insulation garment and by 0.71C for the low insulation garment;
and by 0.83C for the low surface area compared to 0.76C for the high surface area. Duncan (1975)
found that the mean metabolic rate, measured at 30min. after heat exposure began, while pedaling the
ergo meter at a controlled speed and torque was 364w; however, when wearing the dry ice jacket, it was
450w. [4], [5]

1.4. METHDOLOGY

Our methodology will to investigate the existing technologies in the market and to select the best
one after looking into the pros and cons of each. Also to look for the innovations we can bring by
keeping the cost low. For that reason we divided our work into four major parts, as follows:
 Literature Review
System Design
System prototype
Experimentation and results

Figure 1-1: Basic Plan

There are different combinations of cooling technologies are available, but we are decided that
our final design would consist of a vest combined with tubes to circulate water and a
thermoelectric system to cool the water. The tubes would be conductive and connected in a shape
to maximize the cooling.

Differences in cooling system performance can be observed as differences in the rate of increase
of body core temperature. Therefore, the cooling rate of a particular cooling device can be
estimated by calculating the difference between the metabolic heat generation measured during a
controlled trial and the observed rate of heat storage during the same trial.

Through keen research , we decided the components. After assembling the components into an
absolute functional vest, we will carried out experimentations to check its performance during
variant levels of activity and for different genders.

1.5. Experimental setup

In current research Circulated Liquid type cooling vest is selected, basic plan is to cool the
body by using a heat exchanger and a pump for circulating water around the torso through
conductive tubes. Main components of vest are vest framework, tubes, heat exchanger, pump and
batteries. Vest framework should be flexible, durable with high Yield Strength and should have
high Youngs Modulus to bear the weight of the tubes. Nylon seems to fulfill the requirements.
Tubes will arranged in the form of loops to maximize the flow of water. Water circulator allows
heat transfer through water, at cold side of Thermoelectric cooler. It works on the basis of
Peltier effect to create a heat flux between junctions of two different types of materials. Device
has two sides, when DC current flows through device, it brings heat from one side to another
then temperature of one part gets lowered and other will rose. Hotter surface will be attached to
heat sink so that it remains at ambient temperature. A heat sink with a fan will be attached to
hotter side of the thermoelectric cooler to dissipate heat into the ambient air. A rectangular pin
type heat sink used due to better surface area, hence better heat dissipation. It is equipped with a
fan. Pump is used to regulate the flow of water

1.6. TESTING METHODOLOGY

To authenticate the cooling vest, temperature testing procedures will be arranged. For testing
thermocouple will be used to acquire the temperature readings. Thermocouple will be placed at
area between the chest and the abdomen. The initial temperature measurement taken will be the
steady-state skin temperature without implementing the vest. The cooling vest will then turned
on and temperature readings will be recorded.

1.7. CONCLUSIONS

Personal cooling garments have proven to be a versatile solution for providing thermal comfort
to human bodies in different situations. Our technology, circulating liquid type vests, has certain
advantages over the others. Like they can be worn over the clothing and provides high cooling
power. The main processes governing the heat transfer are conduction and convection;
conduction of body heat from body to the tubes and convection as water flows through the tubes
and water circulator.
REFRENCES

[1] Crockford G W and Lee D E. (1967) Heat -protective ventilated jackets: A comparison of
humid and dry ventilating air. British Journal of Medicine 24,52-59.

[2]Konz S, Hwang C L, The chapatanarat and Tang J. (1978) Design considerations for dry ice
garments American Society of Mechanical Engineers New York ASME Publication No. 78-
ENAS-32.

[3] Konz, S. and J. Duncan (1969). Cooling with water cooled hood Proc. Symp Individ.
Cooling,Kansas State University.

[4] Nunneley, S. A. (1970). "Water cooled garments: a review.Space life sciences 335-360.

[5] Amos D. and Hansen R. (1997). The physiological strain induced by a new low burden
chemical protective ensemble Aviat. Space Environ. Med. 68: 126 -131.

[6] Aoyagi Y., McLellan T.M. and Shephard R.J. (1995). Effects of 6 versus 12 days of heat
acclimation on heat tolerance in lightly exercising men wearing protective clothing. Eur. J. Appl.
Physiol. 71: 187 -196.