US3000191A - Portable apparatus for body protection in enclosed wearing apparel - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 19, 1961 v. STARK 3,000,191

PORTABLE APPARATUS FOR BODY PROTECTION IN ENCLOSED WEARING APPAREL Filed Nov. 14, 1960 -2 Sheets-Sheet 1 PH 2 JP-a m ii? I l l ll I 1 I I I I I 1% 2 1 I I I 2 l l l v I l I I l l 1 1 1 I20 I 25 5 l2o '2 3L 214 21 22 2s 7 2 3 2 289 'm 280 I3 l 2 l 2s 35 29 Y 'F 2 33 I i v 36c 36 34 340 3| as 3o 4 FIGJ.

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INVENTOR 2| Virgil Stork MM, 0M ,5 M 4 ATTORNEY Sept. 19, 1961 v. STARK 3,000,191

PORTABLE APPARATUS FOR BODY PROTECTION IN ENCLOSED WEARING APPAREL Filed Nov. 14, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Virgil Stark ATTORNEY United States Fatent 3,000,191 PORTABLE APPARATUS FOR BODY PROTECTION IN ENCLOSED WEARING APPAREL Virgil Stark, 405 Lexington Ave., New York, N.Y. Filed Nov. 14, 1960, Ser. No. 69,066 14 Claims. (Cl. 62-259) The general object of the present invention is to provide an improved cooling apparatus for use with apparel of the type disclosed in Stark Patent No. 2,731,808, and in Stark pending application for Apparatus and Wearing Apparel for Body Refrigeration, Serial No. 827,349, filed July 15, 1939. The prior inventions as well as the present invention, disclose and claim a device for the protection of the wearers person, especially in high temperature and/or high humidity, by means of self-contained air conditioner units comprising refrigerant storage chambers and air passages associated therewith communicating with the interior of an insulating garment, spaced from the body, allowing an interior ambiance of comfort around the body.

In the prior devices the hot air from the ambiance outside the garment was permitted to enter into the space around the body and inside the insulated garment, the air around the body being cooled by one or more refrigerating apparatuses with finned containers filled with replaceable charges of refrigerant.

When the ambient atmosphere is contaminated by dangerous or toxic gases or fumes or radioactive particles, the suit has to be air tight and no admission of outside air is permissible. In other cases, such as high atmospheric temperatures of over 150 F., it is desirable that little or no air from outside is introduced in the space around the body.

The human body, through metabolism generates heat and produces water vapor by perspiration and respiration. It also consumes oxygen and eliminates carbon dioxide through breathing. The quantity of carbon dioxide and water eliminated varies from person to person and depends largely on the exercise and type of work being performed.

In a totally sealed or almost closed ambiance of a protective suit, the following problems have to be solved:

(a) The carbon dioxide content inside the protective garment must be controlled.

The carbon dioxide produced by exhalation, depending on the person and type of work, ranges from approximately 25 grams per hour to approximately 200 grams per hour. In a closed ambiance it accumulates and the concentration increases with time. Experiments made with a closed garment on -a person Working at a rate of 120 watts, show that the concentration of carbon dioxide inside the garment reaches approximately 4.7% in about 25 minutes. As the oxygen is consumed by inhalation, the air inhaled soon becomes deficient in oxygen. If the concentration of carbon dioxide in a closed ambiance is over 3.5%, discomfort will result and severe distress results if such concentration exceeds Death may result with a prolonged exposure to carbon dioxide to over The carbon dioxide produced in excess of the allowable concentration (approximately 2%) must be eliminated or additional air or oxygen must be provided in the enclosed ambiance so as to reduce the carbon dioxide concentration and supply sufiicient oxygen for normal breathing.

(12) Air or oxygen must be supplied.

If the air is consum d by breathing from an enclosed ambiance, additional air or oxygen has to be provided in time to compensate for such consumption. The volume of air required depends on the person, the type and severity of work being done, and may vary from approxiice mately 5 cubic feet per hour to approximately 25 cubic feet per hour.

(0) The heat and moisture produced must be absorbed or eliminated.

The heat produced by the human body in an enclosed garment results in an increase in temperature of the enclosed ambiance, and above a certain temperature it also results in an increased production of perspiration. If the ambiance reaches a temperature higher than the skin temperature (93 F.), and is totally saturated with water vapor, then the body cannot dissipate the heat produced and discomfort, and eventually death may result.

It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved cooling unit which will cool the air in the space between the body and the garment and supply a quantity of oxygen thereto either in the form of pure oxygen or' of air.

It is a further object of this invention to remove water vapor from the ambiance surrounding the body Within an insulating suit.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide means for removing carbon dioxide from the ambiance within the protective suit.

The various features of novelty which characterize this invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, its advantages and specific objects obtained with its use, reference should be had to the drawings and descriptive matter in which have been illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a rear elevational view of the invention partially in section.

FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a similar view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the invention partially in section showing a fragmentary view of the wearer.

FIG. 5 is a partial vertical sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the air inlet device shown in FIG. 5.

The refrigerating apparatus is located inside the insulating garment (not shown) and is supported on the body, either on the front or on the back of the wearer and is therefore completely portable, and is not connected by means of any flexible hose to an outside source of air pressure.

This refrigerating device comprises a body portion 10 having an insulation 9 on its inner surfaces, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. \Attached to the outside of this body portion 10 are two cylinders 11, 11 for holding compressed gas. The bottom of each cylinder has valves 12a and pressure regulators 12, attached thereto and conduits 13, 13, leading from these valves to a common manifold '14 located within the bottom of the body portion 10. The body portion has a refrigerating unit 15 therein. This unit contains a quantity of refrigerant 16, as shown in FIG. 2, and comprises a front wall 17 having the fins =18 thereon and a back Wall 19 having the fins 20 thereon. The front and back walls are joined by the sidewalls 21, 21 and have a bottom wall 22 and a top wall 23 with a handle 24 attached thereto. This refrigerating unit 15 with its refrigerant 16 is removable and is retained in the body portion by the abutments 25, 25, as shown in FIG. 1. Below this refrigerating unit 15 is a bafile 26 having perforations '27, 27 therein to allow the flow of air therethrough and to cause the air to flow downwardly over the moisture adsorbent material 28, 28, retained in the lower part of the body portion 10. Removable side plates 28a, 28a are mounted on the side of the body portion to allow access to this moisture adsorbent material. This'adsorbent material retains the condensed moisture flowing from the bottom of the fins 18 and 20 and prevents it from entering the lower distribution well 29, axially attached to the bottom of the body portion 10. An air exhaust conduit 30 in the form of a truncated cone is attached to one side of the distribution well and delivers the air to the conduit 31 through the restricted venturi opening 32. The conduit 31 delivers the air under pressure to the flexible conduit 33 for distribution within the clothing of the wearer. The manifold 14 delivers the air under pressure to the conduit '34 terminating in a nozzle 34:: within the venturi opening 32 so as to form a positive means of drawing the air around the cooling fins .18 and 20 through the baffle 26, and forces the air into the flexible conduit 33. On the other side of the distribution well 29 is located a similar conduit 35 having a source of compressed air 36, having a nozzle 36a at the end thereof which forces the air under pressure through the container 37 and through the conduit 38 located in the bottom thereof. The container 37 contains a quantity of carbon dioxide adsorbent and is retained within the container 37 by means of the perforated bafiie 40. Attached to the bottom of the distribution well 29 is a conduit 44 for the removal of any water condensed by the fins and not retained by the adsorbent 28.

While in the above description the cylinders 11, 11 are described as containing air under pressure, which may be in the neighborhood of 3,000 lbs. per square inch gauge, and are reduced by the reducing valves 12, 12, so as to deliver air under pressure of 2 to 40 lbs. per square inch gauge, these cylinders may contain oxygen or a mixture of air and oxygen.

The combination of the venturi opening with the compressed air nozzle therein combines to make a positive compression ejector which combines the air drawn over the cooling fins with the w obtained from the cylinders, which air from the cylinders is subjected to cooling due to the expansion of the gas.

The refrigerating unit is of a removable type and contains a refrigerant of the type described in the prior Stark application, referred to above, and is placed within the body portion 10. The air cylinders contain gas under pressure of up to 3,000 lbs. per square inch and reducing valves which reduce this pressure to within the neighborhood of 2 to 40 lbs. per square inch gauge. The size of the nozzle orifices 34a and 36a and the nozzle gas pressure will determine the air volume and its pressure within the conduits 33 and 38 which may range up to 10 inches water column by using the proper orifice such as #50 corresponding to an orifice diameter of 0.070 inch, to #80 corresponding to an orifice diameter of 0.0135 inch.

The air is cooled by flowing over the surface of the refrigerating unit to approximately 35 F. to 50 F. This air is circulated through the suit and is warmed to approximately 80 F. It is then cooled again and recirculated due to the pressure produced in the venturi nozzle. By properly regulating the s ze of the nozzle, circulation of air within the closed garment up to 600 cubic feet per hour, is obtained. This circulation may vary by varying the size of the nozzle so as to obtain the most desirable conditions within the suit. If the volume of nozzle gas introduced corresponds to the air consumed for breathing, for instance, 12 cubic feet per hour, a compressor jet, producing a 1 to 50 ratio of nozzle gas to jet gas will cause 600 cubic feet per hour of jet gas. A higher ratio of nozzle gas to jet gas can be obtained by the proper selection of nozzle and gas pressure. The higher the ratio, the lower be outlet pressure of the jet gas. By jet gas is meant the gas flowing through the conduit 33, and by nozzle gas is meant the gas flowing from the nozzle. 34a.

While in the above description the cylinders 11, 11

contain either air or oxygen under pressure, these cylinders may be replaced by containers of a double wall form, having liquid air or oxygen therein and retain this material under very low temperature and under a pressure preferably in the neighborhood of 50 lbs. per square inch. The liquid air or oxygen is allowed to evaporate gradually to an appropriate heat exchanger to produce air or oxygen needed at the required pressure. A small volume of liquid air or oxygen in the container will produce a large quantity of gas at standard temperature and pressure conditions. These containers are, of course, removable and can be refilled vwth liquid air or oxygen from a proper outside installation.

The carbon dioxide adsorbent '39 may be a material which removes carbon dioxide by chemical reaction, such as soda lime, or by adsorption such as activated carbon, molecular sieves, and other similar adsorbents.

When an impervious type garment is used a slight positive pressure in the garment will result from the use of the cooling device herein described and a back pressure valve system, similar to the one incorporated in oxygen masks may be provided in the garment so as to eliminate from time to time excess gas resulting from the pressure exceeding the pressure set on the back pressure valve. The air or oxygen under pressure will not only replace the air consumed by breathing but also the kinetic energy stored in the compressed or liquified air or oxygen will be used as a source of energy in the compressor jet for circulating the air under a positive pressure and this is combined with the refrigerating unit placed inside the garment which will allow the circulation of the cooled dehydrated air within the garment, and it will also provide the necessary pressure to purify such air by removing therefrom the carbon dioxide generated within the garment.

If an air-tight garment is not required for a particular application and the introduction of a proportioned amount of outside air is permissible, a device such as is shown in FIG. 4 may be used. This device comprises a main body portion 42 having a refrigerating unit 43 contained therein. This unit has fins 44 on the back thereof and fins 45 on the front thereof. This is placed within the clothing through the opening 46 which is sealed by means of the zipper 47, shown in FIG. 4. An air inlet device 48 comprises an air inlet 49 leading to a manifold 50 and having a back plate 51 thereon. This device is placed across the top of the refrigerating unit so that the air manifold 50 covers the top of the openings between the fins 44 and allows the incoming air through the air inlet 49 to flow through the manifold 50 and across the fins 44 in the back of the refrigerating unit. The fins 45 in the front of the refrigerating unit cool and recirculate the air within the garment so that the air from the outside is taken in through the air inlet 49, flows across the back of the refrigerating unit and joins the air recirculated across the front of the refrigerating unit and is then circulated by compression means either as shown on FIG. 1 by Venturi jets 32, truncated cone 30 and conduit 31 or as shown on FIG. 4 by fan 52 driven by electric motor 53 shown at the bottom of the body portion.

The fresh air allowed thus to enter will provide not only theadditional air for breathing but also will reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide, especially for persons when working, possibly eliminating the need of a carbon dioxide purifier. Experiments have shown that without additional air or without purification of carbon dioxide, the carbon dioxide concentration in a closed but not air-tight garment can increase above the allowable limits. I

in certain cases of high ambient temperatures where the admission of very warm outside air is limited, it may i be required to combine both solutions, that is, introduce a small quantity of outside air and provide additional air or oxygen under pressure from one ormore containers spanner combined with compressor ejectors as above shown. In this way it will be possible to either extend the time between replacement of air containers and/or reduce the number and/or size of such air containers.

While in accordance with the provisions of the statute there has been illustrated and described the best form of embodiment of this invention now known, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the form of the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit of this invention as set forth in the appended claims, and that in some cases certain features of this invention may be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerating apparatus, comprising a casing having an insulated front and back wall, side walls and a distribution Well in the bottom thereof, a refrigerating unit comprising a refrigerant sealed in a casing having metallic fins on the front and back walls thereof which will be received by and held in position in the top part of said refrigerating apparatus, at least one source of gas under pressure attached to the external part of said refiigerating apparatus, a conduit from said gas receptacle to the interior part of said distribution well terminating in a nozzle of a venturi jet compressor in the side of said distribution well delivering gas under pressure to said nozzle, distributing the aspired and compressed cool dry air from said venturi jet compressor through a flexible conduit, and means located within the bottom of said apparatus for removing condensed moisture from the air stream.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, having a second venturi jet compressor, a conduit connected to the source of gas under pressure terminating in a nozzle within said second venturi, a conduit from said venturi to a container having carbon dioxide adsorbent therein, and means for distributing air from said container.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said gas under pressure is 4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said gas under pressure is oxygen.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said gas is liquid air under pressure.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said gas is liquid oxygen under pressure.

7. An apparatus for cooling the ambient air within a heat insulating body covering, comprising; a cooling apparatus having insulated front and back walls, side walls, and a distribution well in the bottom thereof with means for producing a forced circulation of gas therefrom, a cooling unit within said apparatus having a refrigerant within a container, said container having metallic fins on the front and back thereof, said fins being in heat conducting relationship with said container, an air inlet device connected through the body covering to the ambient air by means of a flexible conduit and having a manifold across the top thereof to be received by and held in position across the top of one side of said refrigerating unit, a plate attached to said air inlet device insertable in said unit to retain said air inlet device in position, whereby the ambient air is cooled by the back of said cooling unit and the internal air is cooled by the front of said cooling unit.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the circulation of the cooled air is accomplished by means of one or more gas receptacles containing compressed gas connected by conduits to a nozzle of a venturi jet compressor delivering gas to the nozzle of said jet compressor under pressure.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said gas under pressure is air.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said gas under pressure is oxygen.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said gas is liquid oxygen under pressure.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said gas is liquid air under pressure.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein there is a pressure regulating valve between the said source of gas under pressure and said conduit which will deliver said gas to said nozzle at a pressure within the range of 2 to 40 pounds per square inch gauge, said nozzle being variable in size from about #50 to #80, which will change the ratio of gas volume passing through said nozzle to the volume of air compressed through said venturi jet compressor in a range of from 1 to 5 to 1 to 100, said air having an outlet pressure ranging from 0.5 to about 10 inches water column.

14. A refrigerating apparatus, comprising a casing having an insulated front and back wall, side walls and a distribution well in the bottom thereof, a refrigerating unit comprising a refrigerant sealed in a casing having metallic fins on the front and back walls thereof which will be received by and held in position in the top part of said refrigerating apparatus, an air inlet device placed across the top of the said refrigerating unit which allows the introduction of outside air between the fins of said refrigerating unit, at least one source of gas under pressure attached to the external part of said refrigerating apparatus, a conduit from said gas receptacle to the interior part of said distribution well terminating in a nozzle of a venturi jet compressor in the side of said distribution well delivering gas under pressure to said nozzle, distributing the aspired and compressed cool dry air from said venturi jet compressor through a flexible conduit, and means located within the bottom of said apparatus for removing condensed moisture from the air stream.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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