Construction of a garment for an integrated liquid cooling system

Abstract

The problem of a hot microclimate in the workplace, leading to an almost constant thermal strain, concerns people employed worldwide in such sectors as the metallurgical, mining, and glass industries. Additional strain is caused by the protective clothing worn, which is usually made of aluminized fabrics impermeable to water vapor. Publications reporting hazards resulting from the prolonged exposure of workers to a hot microclimate emphasize that it is necessary to eliminate or decrease heat accumulation in the human body. This paper presents the steps involved in the design of a liquid cooling garment (LCG) reducing the thermal discomfort experienced by workers exposed to hot environments, in which impermeable aluminized protective clothing, preventing sweat evaporation, must be worn. The construction of the new LCG is based on a specially developed knitted spacer fabric with a channel structure in which a tube system distributing cooling liquid is placed.