Evaluation of Electrical Heating Performance and Thermal Insulation of Commercial Electrically Heated Inner Suit for a Dry Immersion Suit

In this study, the electric heating performance of a smart heated inner suit was evaluated as basic data for localization of a dry immersion suit being developed abroad to prevent hypothermia, and its thermal insulation capability was analyzed using a thermal mannequin. Accordingly, two types of smart heated inner suits, namely a dry suit (Suit_IN) and a dry immersion suit (Suit_OUT), were selected along with a location for measuring the thermal insulation in accordance with KS V ISO 15027-3. Then, the surface and inner temperatures of the suits were measured, and the thermal resistance and thermal insulation properties were analyzed using the mannequin. Upon supplying power, the inner temperature of Suit_IN was approximately 45 ℃, with a slightly higher value of about 53 ℃ in the stomach area. In addition, it was confirmed that the hand portions had the highest temperature of approximately 55 ℃. After wearing Suit_IN and Suit_OUT, the inner temperature of the hand part increased by approximately 25 ℃ compared to wearing only Suit_IN, whereas the temperatures of the other parts improved by 5-10 ℃, thereby improving the total heat generation performance. To confirm the thermal insulation of each part for each sample, measurements were obtained using a thermal mannequin under environmental conditions similar to the underwater environment in winter. The thermal resistance was observed to be large in and around the stomach area where power was supplied, and the thermal resistances of the hand and foot areas were low owing to the presence of openings. In addition, the thermal insulation property (Clo) when wearing both Suit_IN and Suit_OUT was approximately twice that of wearing only a single suit. Therefore, wearing both suits would enable maintaining the body temperature and preventing hypothermia in extreme underwater environments.

시판 건식방수복용 전기발열내피의 전기발열 성능 및 보온성 평가