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Evaluation of three commercial microclimate cooling systems
B S Cadarette1, B S DeCristofano, K L Speckman
1U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA 01760-5007.
Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine
|January 1, 1990
Summary
The ILC cooling vest significantly improved endurance time in hot conditions compared to other systems, demonstrating its effectiveness in reducing heat stress during exercise. Other cooling vests offered some benefit but were less effective or caused adverse effects.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Physiology
- Human Performance
- Protective Clothing Technology
Background:
- Heat stress poses a significant risk during exercise in hot environments, especially when wearing protective clothing.
- Commercial microclimate cooling systems aim to mitigate heat stress and improve endurance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of three commercially available microclimate cooling systems in reducing heat stress during exercise in a hot environment.
- To compare the physiological responses and endurance times across different cooling systems.
Main Methods:
- Five male volunteers performed exercise protocols in a controlled hot environment (38°C Tdb, 12°C Tdp) wearing high-insulative clothing.
- Three cooling systems (ILC Dover Coolvest, LSSI Coolhead, Thermacor Cooling Vest) were tested, with varying inlet temperatures.
- Measurements included endurance time, heart rate, rectal temperature, skin temperature, sweating rate, perceived exertion, and thermal sensation.
Main Results:
- Endurance time was significantly greater with the ILC system (178 min) compared to Thermacor (131 min) and LSSI (83 min).
- Subjects self-terminated LSSI trials due to headaches.
- No significant differences were observed in heart rate, rectal temperature, sweating rate, or thermal sensation among the systems at 60 minutes.
Conclusions:
- All evaluated cooling systems improved physiological responses to exercise heat stress.
- The ILC cooling system provided the greatest improvement in performance time (endurance).
- The LSSI system, despite cooling skin temperature, led to self-termination and higher perceived exertion, indicating potential limitations.