Untethered Diver Cooling and Heating System

The objective of this project is to prove the demonstrate prototype systems for heating and cooling a diver in the Shallow Water Combat Submersible (SWCS). Rini Technologies, Inc. has demonstrated the feasibility of a miniature heat pump and proposes to build complementary heating and cooling systems to provide thermal protection for both cold and warm water diving in contaminated water. Both units are capable of operation from a similarly size battery for greater than 2.6 hours but can be plugged into a power source of the SWCS for extended (>12 hours) run time. Each of the units proposed will be 8.5” long and less than 4” diameter. The heating system provides 300W of heat via 35°C water to the tube suit in 1.7°C ambient ocean water while consuming only 110W of electrical power. The cooling unit will provide 250W of cooling via 20°C water in 38°C ambient ocean water, consuming only 80W of electrical power. Through the use of these systems, the Navy can perform un-encumbered long duration dives in contaminated water at temperature extremes in the SWCS and allow for un-tethered diving.