Design, simulation and experimental verification of heat transfer structure in thermoelectric cooling helmets

Abstract

In order to solve the problem of sunstroke for helmet wearing person under strong sunshine or close hot environments due to the high temperature between the person's head and the helmet, a thermoelectric cooling helmet is proposed. However, due to the curve nature of the head, the even temperature distribution inside the helmet is normally a big challenge, we propose a thermoelectric cooling helmet using thermoelectric cooler (TEC) combining a new heat transfer design scheme. In this design, using hydrogel with very high percentage of water filled in soft package attached on high thermal conductive thin fins is applied to establish a heat transfer channel between the head and the cold surface of the thermoelectric cooler. The control of the cold surface temperature of the thermoelectric cooler element and the rapid heat transfer of the high thermal conductive thin fins provide precise control of the internal temperature of the helmet, while enhancing the comfort of the helmet by utilizing the softness of the hydrogel. The heat transfer structure of this combination of high thermal conductive thin fins and hydrogel is a very important guide for the heat dissipation of other curved heat generating objects.