Driver Cooling Solutions

January 25, 2015 at 10:22 am, No comments

Under normal conditions, the human body will manage excessive heat production by transferring the heat to the external environment. In the cockpit of a race car, this transfer of heat is significantly compromised due to the combined microenvironments created by the excessive interior and exterior ambient temperatures, as well as the driver’s helmet, driving suit, shoes, gloves and additional safety underwear garments.

As a result, the race car driver experiences increases in core body temperature – HYPERTHERMIA - which can contribute to the onset of physical and mental performance deficits that will include slowed reflexes, cardiovascular stress and impaired decision making.

Athletic Deficits associated with HYPERTHERMIA:

Psychomotor- Impairment of precise manipulation actions requiring dexterity and coordination. The brain metabolism increase will cause glycogen depletion. The driver's ability to remain alert is impaired.

Cardiovascular- The challenge is to provide enough blood for both the working muscles and thermoregulation. The blood carries oxygen, nutrients and waste. The blood also carries heat away from the body core (decreasing volume). The heart rate increases disproportionately to maintain cardiac output. Thus, the cardiovascular system is overloaded and the driver’s performance suffers.

Energy Metabolism- Heat increases cause oxygen uptake demand. Increased heart rate and respiration add to the increase in oxygen demand. These increases lead to an increase in metabolism. Increase glycogen depletion and increase in muscle lactate production. Consequently, the driver experiences an early onset of fatigue and exhaustion.

There are a few systems and products that provide an effective solution to managing core body temperatures in competitive drivers - one of them is CoolShirt Systems.

Optimum athletic driving performance in a race car can be obtained by the successful THERMOREGULATION Cooling systems and products such as the following amazing products from CoolShirt systems Motorsport Division:

1. Procool R

• Liquid flows thru the shirt at approximately 1.5 Lpm.

• Operates in high vibration environments and in vehicles pulling multiple G forces.

• Operates in ambient temperatures as high as 130 degrees F (54.4 C)

• Features a high performance micro-compressor designed to military standards

• Simple and easy-to-use control switch positions

2. PRO AIR AND WATER SYSTEM

The COOLSHIRT (Cool Suit) Pro Air & Water System delivers temperature-controlled cooled water to the driver’s Cool Shirt® and cooled blower-enhanced HEPA-4 filtered air to their helmet.

Also available with the SFI-Approved FireWear® fire-retardant Cool Shirt. The Cool Shirt (Cool Suit) Pro Air & Water System comes with a 12 or 24 quart cooling unit with an internal pump that supplies temperature-controlled cool water to the shirt and HEPA-4 filtered, chilled air to your helmet via a 235 CFM blower.

Eight feet of double insulated water hose with automatic shutoff/quick disconnects attach the shirt to the unit, and the Dual Temperature Control Switch allows the user to regulate the flow and the temperature of water for personal comfort based on external temperature variation.

3. CLUB SYSTEM

The compact COOLSHIRT Club 12qt and 24qt System provides the advantage of system for those racing applications that have limited space or shorter race durations.

Perfect for road racing, circle track, drags and many other racing types – a favorite among SCCA and PCA drivers!

The compact COOLSHIRT Club System keeps you cool and alert so you look and feel your BEST when they hand you the trophy! The COOLSHIRT Club System comes with a 12qt or 24qt cooling unit with an internal pump which supplies cooled water to the shirt through 8ft of double insulated hose with automatic shutoff/quick disconnects.

The optional Temperature Control Switch gives the driver complete control of their comfort while in their race car.

Total weight for the Club System 12qt is only 3lbs.

Total weight for the Club System 24qt is 4lbs.

4. DRAG PACK SYSTEM COMPLETE

COOLSHIRT Systems introduces its new DRAGPACK System to help drivers go straight faster! Designed for Drag racers specifically, this complete kit comes with the newly designed DRAGPACK ice based cooler system, a Driver Cooling Vest, a 4 or 8 ft insulated hose, and a 7 hr.lithium battery with charger. Reaction times alone can be reduced by as much as 20% with only a 2% loss in hydration. The DRAGPACK system covers 30-40% of the body with cold water circulating through tubing designed to dissipate heat away from the body, in-turn, cooling the core.

Some more information on Heat movement:

#1 Conduction : Relies on the direct molecular contact and water cooling temperature difference of patented shirt vs. chest/thorax skin temperature.

#2 Convection : Relies on the motion of a fluid across a heated surface.

#3 Radiation : Relies on infrared rays emitting heat loss.

#4 Evaporation : Relies on a fluid(sweat) dissipation providing heat loss.

Driver Cooling Solutions

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