Compact and Lightweight Cooling System for Emergency Responders

Navy and Marine Corps emergency responders must wear personal protective equipment for long periods in all types of environments. The personal protective equipment isolates the wearer from the environment, and in hot environments the interior of a HAZMAT suit can become very hot and potentially impair physical and cognitive performance. We propose to develop an innovative, self-contained cooling system for emergency responders that will control the temperature and humidity within a HAZMAT suit. The cooling system comprises an innovative cooling garment which is coupled to a compact and lightweight cooling system. In Phase I we will prove the feasibility of this approach by identifying the key requirements, demonstrating the critical new components in the laboratory, and producing a conceptual design for the cooling system. In Phase II we will fabricate the components, assemble a system, and demonstrate operation of the innovative cooling system.