Degrees - HVAC-R and Refrigeration Latest News
Cool clothing
No, it’s not the latest fashion from Paris or New York. But this fashion breakthrough is about to save lives. Particularly fire-fighters’ lives.
Bushfires are a reality in Australia. And every year in towns and cities as well as rural communities, fire-fighters prepare for battle. And among the many hazards they face is heat. Radiant heat is a killer, and so the well-equipped fire-fighter needs to cover up in full suits of overalls, as well as heavy boots and protective head gear. And wearing all that on a 40º day, with a raging Northerly, and fire all around, well, if the fire doesn’t get you, your clothing might.
But an innovative technology breakthrough in personal air-conditioning is about to change all that. Air-conditioned clothing is about to become a reality. A micro-compressor the size of a pen and weighing 100 g has been developed by Embraco, the world leader in domestic-refrigerator compressor production, that can be sewn into the fabric of clothing. When temperatures rise, hot air is sucked into the unit, cooled by the micro-compressor, then propelled through a network of thin tubes in the clothing.
Discussions with Formula-1 teams and armies, as well as fire-fighting services are underway and the developers also hope the product will be used in paramedics’ blankets to help reduce bleeding, to refrigerate organs being transplanted and against overheating of LCD screens. A pilot-line of the micro-compressor is soon to be released.
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