New invention to combat searing temperatures
29 January 2001
A new Australian invention will help keep soldiers and workers cool in the searing temperatures of deserts, mines and fires.
Developed jointly by the CSIRO and Defence Science and Technology Organisation, the high-tech vest uses a personal cooling system that will allow its user to operate in high temperatures for 4 hours. Previously, only one hour was possible.
‘The personal cooling system is based on new, patented heat pipe technology which works by collecting body heat through vapour-filled cavities in a vest worn on the body,’ according to the CSIRO’s Dr Pratish Bandopadhayay.
‘The heat is then transferred via a flexible heat pipe to the atmosphere with the help of an evaporative cooling heat exchanger.
‘The heat exchanger is similar in principle to a bush fridge where a cold cloth is put over a container and the temperature drop caused by evaporation keeps the food cool,’ he said.
The CSIRO says that the new cooling system is expected to be of major use in fire-fighting, deep mining operations, hazardous chemical clean-ups in harsh environments and in military operations where physical exertions have been limited by high temperatures.
Last Reviewed: 05 February 2001
