Microclimate Cooling for USMC Bomb Suit

The USMC has identified a need to develop a lightweight Micro-climate Cooling System for operators wearing bomb suits in hot weather who often suffer from heat stress while walking back and forth down-range to the target. Current cooling systems that use ice blocks, do not last long enough to meet the mission duration; therefore, a new approach is needed. In the proposed Phase I effort, RINI will demonstrate feasibility through analytical calculations as well as building and testing a prototype Advanced Microclimate Cooling System (A-MCS). This will be accomplished using an actual bomb-suit to ensure that the layout and integration are acceptable. RINI will also conduct a feasibility analysis to identify the necessary air-flow and heat exchanger area required to cool the ventilation air in the helmet and how to tie in the A-MCS controls into the bomb suit control system. In the Option, RINI will provide conceptual designs for the A-MCS helmet integration and controls integration. In Phase II, RINI will complete a A-MCS prototype that meets the USMC requirements and can be evaluated over the range of parameters including 150 deployment cycles