Chemical/Biological (CB) protective ensembles impose a thermal burden on aircrew, which not only limits mission time but poses a physiological danger to aircrew in even moderate operating environments. The thermal loads placed on these personnel may be reduced through the use of microclimate cooling systems. Unfortunately, to provide effective cooling, such systems must usually make compromises in weight, portability, effectiveness, or comfort. It is possible to greatly enhance the cooling efficiency of microclimate cooling suits through the use of Thermasorb additives. Thermasorb additives consist of micro-encapsulated phase-change materials that are capable of absorbing large amounts of heat without changing temperature. These additives can improve microclimate cooling suits through the use of modular cooling packs or a slurry-based system. Frisby proposes to design, build, test, and demonstrate three laboratory-scale Thermasorb systems. A system that incorporates bulk Thermasorb microcapsules in modular units that will absorb heat from a secondary circulating unit, a Thermasorb slurry system that will absorb heat directly from the heat source, and a hybrid (active/passive) system.
