Resumo (PT):
Abstract (EN):
In recent decades, the performance of Thermal Protective Clothing (TPC) for firefighters has
significantly improved, leading to a decrease in on-site injuries and fatalities. Innovations such
as liquid cooling devices and Phase Change Materials (PCM) integrated into TPC have emerged
to alleviate heat stress for workers in hot environments. While some solutions are cumbersome,
PCM-based vests offer a promising approach to protecting against high-intensity heat fluxes. A
recent highlight is the innovative firefighter vest created during the DIF-Jacket project
(https://difjacketproject.fe.up.pt/). The consortium developed a prototype of a PCM vest to be
worn over the conventional FPC. The vest is composed of a structure with a removable matrix of
individual PCM pouches. Various methodologies were employed to optimize and assess the
thermal performance of the PCM-vest. These ranged from laboratory tests to simulations in
firefighting scenarios, including real urban fire situations (2) and virtual environments (3,4). In
this presentation, we will discuss the practical insights gained about heat and mass transfer
within firefighters' multilayer garments. We will also introduce the advanced models developed
to study various parameters that could enhance the thermal performance of firefighter vests,
such as the integration of PCM, and address potential drawbacks related to water distribution
within the vest's multilayers. These models consider different selection criteria, including skin
damage and firefighter thermal state. Furthermore, we will cover the established manufacturing
guidelines, the experimental techniques explored, and the certified laboratory tests conducted
on the prototype.
Language:
English
Type (Professor's evaluation):
Scientific
Notes:
Link livro de resumos: https://hera-science.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/int-conf-book-abstracts.pdf
No. of pages:
2