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EOD body cooling system help

coachgeo

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https://www.med-eng.com/products/pe...ment/medengeodiedd/bcs4bodycoolingsystem.aspx

since last I looked there is no TM's etc. for these cool suits and Med. Eng will not help a private person with info...... sooooo.. checking to see if any one has experience in here with them. Wanting to adapt a pair of suits and some vest for use on long hot trips in LMTV. Have got both a 24v liquid cooler and a 110v to use with them. Got plumbing questions... general use questions etc..

if there is a better forum to ask this here on SSoldiers.... speak up.

Thanks in advance.
 

runk

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I've got a complete BCS-3a system and I can scan the manual if that would help. It has a battery operated pump and ice bottles. I think I picked it up at a NASA auction.
I've also got quite a bit of experience designing, building and testing Liquid Cooling Garments for space, haz-mat, firefighter and some military applications if you have other questions. LCGs are a pretty small world, so not many places to ask questions.
 

coachgeo

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I've got a complete BCS-3a system and I can scan the manual if that would help. It has a battery operated pump and ice bottles. I think I picked it up at a NASA auction.
I've also got quite a bit of experience designing, building and testing Liquid Cooling Garments for space, haz-mat, firefighter and some military applications if you have other questions. LCGs are a pretty small world, so not many places to ask questions.
Any help would be awesome. Im looking at; in lue of cab AC, ... going with either these suit listed in my first post..... or more simply a poncho/blanket attached to seat belt..... pull belt across to snap in place and cool/poncho blanket goes with it... hit the cooler switch and go (if wise you pre cool for a longer trip). My coolers are not ice... but actual water chillers. One is a 24v chiller for lab lasers.... another is 110v for fish tanks. With these and pre thought plumbing could even sit outside my poor man's expedition camper and be cool lol. A blanket for sleeping would be smart too though. Thought was solar power wise it would take less energy to cool the person than the whole habitat. For cab... personal AC.. less stress on engine thru AC compressor.... and less costly overall.

anyway... at the moment I can't even figure out how to take apart the tubing ends. They two ends came shipped clipped together. Saw a military chiller from Med. Eng (attaches to vehicle AC's cooling system) that on label mentioned purging air from lines.... thus guess gotta figure that out too.
 
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runk

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If the connection are the kind Med-Eng usually use, they are from CPC. The little ones between pants and shirt (and hood if you have it) are probably-
https://www.cpcworldwide.com/Product-List/Series/5/Valved/1?Category=43
They take a tiny bit of twist and then pull apart.

Bigger ones are probably-
https://www.cpcworldwide.com/Product-List/Series/6/Category/44

The CPC fittings are available from lots of scientific and industrial supply places, we used them all the time. Bought a lot from-
https://www.coleparmer.com/c/quick-disconnect-fittings
or McMaster-Carr, but it looks like even Amazon has them now.
 

runk

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One thing to note about the NASA info on LCGs: The NASA LCG uses a relatively high water flow rate (~.5gpm, and 1-2PSI of pressure drop) where the water temperature is varied to control the cooling. The LCG used in the current space suits is basically identical to the final Apollo version. They are very effective even at pretty high work loads and the cooling is pretty comfortable. But, they are a pain to maintain and very expensive to build. I was involved in the attempted commercial development of an LCG with similar performance, but we couldn't get the LCG and supporting equipment price low enough or the simplify the effort of using and maintaining the system enough to be worth the benefits.

The Med-Eng design uses a very low flow rate ( < .1gpm, and 10+ PSI of pressure drop) and ice cold water (as do every other commercially available system). This type of LCG can't pull very much heat from a person, basically just keeping up if you are sitting there and watching something. They probably won't cool you down if you start out hot, and won't be able to keep up if you are doing any sort of work. They are basically on or off. A lot of people find the ice cold water really uncomfortable.

I would set up the system quick and dirty and play with it before you spend much effort modifying your truck. A bucket of ice water and a usable pump are all you need. It may be a little challenging to find a pump with usable specs. I wouldn't be surprised if you decided the benefits aren't worth the effort.

Your chiller's pumps are probably too high a flow rate and not enough pressure capability. We always use a separate low flow and high(ish) pressure pump with a reservoir (bucket, cooler or tank) or heat exchanger. The chillers may also have trouble getting the water temperature low enough, or need some sort of anti-freeze at that low a temperature.

I wouldn't use any sort of flammable or toxic anti-freeze in the LCG water.
I would use some sort of bio-cide in the LCG water, it is really easy to get a mold or slime growing in the tubes, and almost impossible to get it out. We often used one of the brewing (or food service) sanitizers in the water. (note that the iodine ones will stain the tubes) A tiny bit of bleach will work, but doesn't last very long. Too much bleach may effect some of the plastics.

Hopefully this is some useful info, ask me any other specific questions.
 

marchplumber

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Thanks runk! Amazing what one can and does learn on this here website!! As a plumber, I have some experience in the movement of water and such...................thanks again for sharing your expertise!!
 
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