Laboratory Comparison of Portable Cooling Systems for Workers Exposed to Two Levels of Heat Stress

摘要

Two commercially available liquid cooling systems (LCSs) were tested on subjects wearing the current USAF groundcrew chemical defense ensemble and working in the heat. Each cooling system consisted of an ice-water heat sink, a pump, and a vest or vest-and-cap through which cool water circulated. Subjects walked on a treadmill to produce a time-weighted metabolic rate of about 480 W. Environmental conditions were: hot = 45/31C and warm = 32/22C. Under the hot conditions neither LCS produced and difference from the uncooled control, and all subjects were forced to stop within 40-50 min because of high temperatures, excessive heat rates, or exhaustion. Under the warm condition the LCS did allow T sub re to equilibrate; one system which could be recharged with ice enabled subjects to continue work to the 160-min limit of the protocol. Discussion covers logistics problems and reliability of the two systems. The conclusion is the LCSs are a viable concept for USAF operations, but that better heat sinks must be found and field tested before acceptance.