Thermal Science 2011 Volume 15, Issue 3, Pages: 807-816
https://doi.org/10.2298/TSCI100627027F
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Experimental investigations on the cooling of a motorcycle helmet with phase change material (PCM)
Fok S.C. (Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)
Tan F.L. (School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)
Sua C.C. (School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)
The thermal comfort of motorcycle helmet during hot weather is important as
it can affect the physiological and psychological condition of the rider.
This paper examines the use of phase change material (PCM) to cool a
motorcycle helmet and presents the experimental investigations on the
influences of the simulated solar radiation, wind speed, and heat generation
rate on the cooling system. The result shows that the PCM-cooled helmet is
able to prolong the thermal comfort period compared to a normal helmet. The
findings also indicate that the heat generation from the head is the
predominant factor that will affect the PCM melting time. Simulated solar
radiation and ram-air due to vehicle motion under adiabatic condition can
have very little influences on the PCM melting time. The results suggested
that the helmet usage time would be influenced by the amount of heat
generated from the head. Some major design considerations based on these
findings have been included. Although this investigation focuses on the
cooling of a motorcyclist helmet, the findings would also be useful for the
development of PCM-cooling systems in other applications.
Keywords: phase change material, cooling helmet, thermal comfort