Three-dimensional heat and moisture transfer analysis for thermal protection of firefighters' gloves with phase change materials.

Transient three-dimensional (3D) heat and moisture transfer simulations were conducted to analyze the thermal performances of the entire phase change material (PCM) integrated into firefighters' gloves. PCM was broken down into several segments to cover the back and palm of the hand but to avoid finger joints to keep hand functions. Parametric studies were performed to explore the effects of PCM melting temperatures, PCM locations in the glove and PCM layer thicknesses on the overall thermal performance improvement of firefighters' gloves.

3D Numerical Simulation for Thermal Protection of Phase Change Material-Integrated Firefighters' Turnout Gear.

This work aims to investigate and develop a novel phase change material (PCM)-integrated firefighters' turnout gear technology that would significantly enhance the thermal protection of firefighters' bodies from thermal burn injuries under high-heat conditions (such as in fire scenes). This work established a 3D human thermal simulation to explore the thermal protection improvements of firefighters' turnout gear by using PCM segments under flashover and hazardous conditions. This simulation study will guide future experimental design and testing effectively and save time and effort.

Experimental Study on the Thermal Protection Enhancement of Novel Phase Change Material Integrated Structural Firefighting Gloves under High-Heat Exposures.

Phase change material (PCM) has been widely studied for efficient thermal management. This work is the first holistic experimental research on the temperature control performance of PCM-integrated firefighters' gloves. The results showed that the thermal protection time could be extended by 2-5 times in the direct contact to hot object tests and around 1.

Modeling and Analyzing for Thermal Protection of Firefighters' Glove by Phase Change Material.

Firefighter injures caused by burns and thermal stress occupies around 5%-10% of the total injuries annually. Glove is the thinnest/weakest components among the firefighter turnout gear, which can put firefighters, are at risk of severe wrist and hand burns during fire calls. Burns can occur quickly and enhancing the thermal protective performance of firefighters' gloves will prevent these burns.

Comparison of ISO work of breathing and NIOSH breathing resistance measurements for air-purifying respirators.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's methods and requirements for air-purifying respirator breathing resistance in 42 CFR Part 84 do not include work of breathing. The International Organization for Standardization Technical Committee 94, Subcommittee 15 utilized work of breathing to evaluate airflow resistance for all classes of respiratory protective devices as part of their development of performance standards regarding respiratory protective devices. The objectives of this study were: (1) to evaluate the relationship between the International Organization for Standardization's work of breathing measurements and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's breathing resistance test results; (2) to provide scientific bases for standard development organizations to decide if work of breathing should be adopted; and (3) to establish regression equations for manufacturers and test laboratories to estimate work of breathing measurements using breathing resistance data.

Numerical Simulations of Exhaled Particles from Wearers of Powered Air Purifying Respirators.

In surgical settings, infectious particulate wound contamination is a recognized cause of post-operative infections. Powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs) are worn by healthcare workers for personal protection against contaminated aerosols. Healthcare infection preventionists have expressed concern about the possibility that infectious particles expelled from PAPR exhalation channels could lead to healthcare-associated disease, especially in operative settings where sterile procedural technique is essential.

COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS SIMULATION OF FLOW OF EXHALED PARTICLES FROM POWERED-AIR PURIFYING RESPIRATORS.

In surgical settings, infectious particulate wound contamination is a recognized cause of post-operative infections. Powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs) are widely used by healthcare workers personal protection against infectious aerosols. Healthcare infection preventionists have expressed concern about the possibility that infectious particles expelled from PAPR exhalation channels could lead to healthcare associated infections, especially in operative settings where sterile procedural technique is emphasized.

Assessment of respirator fit capability test criteria for full-facepiece air-purifying respirators.

An ASTM International subcommittee on Respiratory Protection, F23.65 is currently developing a consensus standard for assessing respirator fit capability (RFC) criteria of half-facepiece air-purifying particulate respirators. The objective of this study was to evaluate if the test methods being developed for half-facepiece respirators can reasonably be applied to nonpowered full-facepiece-air-purifying respirators (FF-APR).