Alternate Configurations for Tethered Air Microclimate Cooling Systems

At the request of the Naval Sea Systems Command, The Navy Clothing and Textile Research Facility conducted a laboratory evaluation of alternate hose configurations for use with air microclimate cooling systems (MCS). The configurations were evaluated for their effectiveness in improving user acceptance of the tether hose without adversely affecting cooling capacity or user performance. Four alternate configurations, plus a standard configuration were tested in benchtop and simulated shipboard tests. The results of the benchtop tests indicated that the maximum flow rate difference between any two configurations was 1.0 standard cubic feet per minute at 90 psi feed pressure. This difference is not considered large enough to eliminate any particular configuration from further consideration. The simulated shipboard tests indicated that there were no differences between configurations in terms of the time required to complete the course. (MM)