Lightweight and Efficient Cooling System for Special Reaction Teams

Clothing that protects Special Reaction Teams from chemical, biological, and nuclear threats can subject the individuals to heat stress. These hazardous environments require the use of PPE with level A protection for several hours, which can diminish the body’s ability to reject heat, leading to symptoms ranging from muscular weakness, dizziness and physical discomfort to more severe, life-threatening conditions such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke. RTI proposes to develop a miniature refrigeration unit, which utilizes a vapor compression cycle with the key component of an innovative rotary compressor, to remove heat from the user. This project will provide a portable cooling unit with a combination of performance, reliability, size and weight that is currently not possible from conventional designs. Specifically, the proposed cooling system will produce 125W of cooling to a water vest with a water temperature of 22°C, weigh 3.5 lb (without battery), have a target volume of 1.0L and require 35W of electrical power. The Phase I effort will concentrate on the thermodynamic cycle, a novel condenser design, composite material implementation, thin film solid lubrication applications, and fabrication of a prototype compressor. The design of the remaining system, testing and integration would be performed in Phase II.