Man-portable cooling garment with cold liquid circulation based on thermoelectric refrigeration

Abstract

• Application of semiconductor refrigeration in cooling garment. • A new cooling garment is designed and tested in a high-temperature environment. • The cooling garment system long time running is reliable and steady. • The cooling system provides a cold water temperature of 15.7 °C. • Self-regulating heat exchange network automatically adjusts temperature balance. The use of cooling garments is emerging as an effective, convenient, and energy-efficient way to maintain thermal comfort, which is crucial for conserving physical and psychological health and for avoiding potentially life-threatening situations. Current cooling garments are generally bulky and have short operating periods, uncontrollable cooling capacity, and low effectiveness. Here, a novel man-portable cooling garment based on thermoelectric refrigeration was designed, and the heat generated by body is absorbed by capillary tube and dissipated in semiconductor refrigeration system. The coolant is circulated in the pipeline to recover residual cold energy and improve the thermal stability of the system. Several performance tests were conducted in a simulated hot environment to evaluate and to optimize refrigeration efficiency and cooling effectiveness. The results indicated that the system was capable of providing a water temperature of 15.7 °C and cooling power of 340.4 W, with a coefficient of performance of 3.40 at 100 W of electrical power and a climatic chamber at 30 °C. Additionally, the operating environment of the system significantly influenced the cooling capacity of the garment; and the cooling power of the system was significantly improved by increasing the heat dissipation capacity. The increase in electrical power was limited by constant heat dissipation capacity restrictions. The wearing trial confirmed the effectiveness of the thermoelectric cooling garment. Furthermore, our study improved the understanding of performance characteristics for the thermoelectric cooling garment, and a road map for the further development of thermoelectric cooling garments was suggested.