A Biophysical Evaluation of an Evaporatively-Cooled Water Bag

Abstract

Commercially available flax canvas water bags were evaluated for their ability to cool drinking water by evaporating water from their outer surfaces. Evaluations were conducted in an environmentally-controlled chamber under various climatic conditions. Different ambient temperatures, relative humidities and wind velocities were utilized to create climatic conditions normally observed in Southwest Asia during the summer months (June through September). Water which was initially above or below ambient temperature approached an equilibrium temperature (Tae) in the water bag which was at or near the chamber wet-bulb temperature (Twb) in 2 to 5 hours, depending on the wind speed. High wind velocities (WV) over the water bags were responsible for large total water volume losses which could be significant in a combat situation involving extended desert maneuvers in remote regions.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1983
Accession Number
ADA133191

Entities

People

  • John R. Breckenridge
  • Ralph F. Goodman
  • Thomas L. Endrusick

Organizations

  • United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Temperature
  • Cooling
  • Drinking Water
  • Energy Transfer
  • Environment
  • Equations
  • Heat Transfer
  • Humidity
  • Measurement
  • Military Research
  • Solar Radiation
  • Southwest Asia
  • Surface Temperature
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Vapor Pressure
  • Wet Bulb Temperature
  • Wind Velocity

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Climatology
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Reinforced Composite Materials

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology