Abstract
A hot water and steam tester was used to examine thermal protective performance of waterproof and breathable fabric against hot water and steam hazards. Time to cause skin burn and thermal energy absorbed by skin during exposure and cooling phases was employed to characterize the effect of configuration, placing order and properties of waterproof and breathable fabric on the thermal protective performance. The difference of thermal protective performance due to hot water and steam hazards was discussed. The result showed that the configuration of waterproof and breathable fabric presented a significant effect on the thermal protective performance of single- and double-layer fabric system, while the difference between different configurations in steam hazard was greater than that in hot water hazard. The waterproof and breathable fabric as outer layer provided better protection than that as inner layer. Increasing thickness and moisture regain improved the thermal protective performance of fabric system. Additionally, the thermal energy absorbed by skin during the cooling phase was affected by configuration, thickness and moisture regain of fabric. The findings will provide technical data to improve performance of thermal protective clothing in hot water and steam hazards.
Highlights
Workers in oil and gas industries are subjected to two kinds of thermal hazards: hot water and steam [1]
The result showed that the configuration of waterproof and breathable fabric presented a significant effect on the thermal protective performance of single- and double-layer fabric system, while the difference between different configurations in steam hazard was greater than that in hot water hazard
Waterproof and breathable fabric was used for design of thermal protective clothing to improve protection against hot water and steam hazards
Summary
Workers in oil and gas industries are subjected to two kinds of thermal hazards: hot water and steam [1]. For providing effective protection against hot water and steam, worker is required to equip with personal protective clothing to resist heat and mass transfer. Thermal protective performance provided by protective clothing against hot water and steam is determined by various factors, such as fabric’s basic properties, air gap size and exposure condition [3,4,5,6]. The bench top tester was further improved by Lu et al [4] to precisely investigate the influencing factors of the protective performance against hot liquid splash, such as liquid type, temperature, flow rate and impingement angle. The result demonstrated that mass transfer rate and amount determined the thermal protective performance of the clothing, depending on the air permeability of clothing system [7]. The improved tester was employed by Mandal et al [5] to analyze the relationship between the fabric properties and thermal
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