(NEPTUNE) Thermal Management Technologies for Low-Temperature Undersea Dive Persistence: a Novel Arctic Diving Suit
Abstract
ABSTRACT: The proposed project aims to develop novel materials that provide (1) ultra-high thermal insulation; and (2) underwater electrical energy harvesting such as thermal resonator. The extension will focus on extending the duration of effective thermal insulation and validating the enhanced insulation on manikin.In terms of enhanced thermal insulation, we propose to use graphene oxide based gas barrier coatings that keep the highly-insulating gases trapped inside the neoprene foam. This will prevent the ~discharging~ of noble gases inside the neoprene and increase the longevity of noble gas treated thermal insulating diving suits. Other less expensive gases are also proposed to be used to replace the noble gases, such as carbon dioxide and chloroflurocarbons. As a complement to the aforementioned strategy of improving the insulating properties of neoprene itself, it is also possible to gain further improvements in insulation by trapping a thin layer of air on the surface of neoprene. This can be done by treating the neoprene outer surface to render it superhydrophobic, which can in turn be done in multiple ways. The surface may also be mechanically modified and its wettability adjusted by altering its microscale texture, e.g. by adding ~synthetic fur~. Overall, making the outer surface of neoprene superhydrophobic could benefit the diver in two ways: by significantly reducing the viscous drag on the diver, enabling more efficient swimming, and by enhancing the thermal insulation provided by the wetsuit, further extending the dive persistence. Next step of the project also includes testing the effectiveness of charged wetsuit in full-scale on Natick~s Manikin, and reinforce the neoprene structure to extend the lifetime of thermal insulation. For energy harvesting, we plan to set up a mathematical model for a wearable thermal resonator that can utilize the heat loss from diver~s body to power some electronic devices.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Apr 25, 2019
- Source ID
- N000141912307
Entities
People
- Michael Strano
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy