Publication detail

Applicability of Human Thermophysiological Model for Prediction of Thermal Strain in PPE

LUNEROVÁ, K. ŘEHÁK KOPEČKOVÁ, B. POKORNÝ, J. MAŠÍN, M. KAISER, D. FIALOVÁ, V. FIŠER, J.

English title

Applicability of Human Thermophysiological Model for Prediction of Thermal Strain in PPE

Type

journal article in Web of Science

Language

en

Original abstract

The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential to protect the human body in hazardous environments or where there is a risk of CBRN agents. However, PPE also poses a barrier to evaporative heat dissipation, therefore increasing heat accumulation in the body. In our research, we investigated the applicability of thermophysiological models for the prediction of thermal strain and the permissible working time in a contaminated environment when the usage of protective ensembles is required. We investigated the relationship between the thermal insulation characteristics of four types of PPE against CBRN agents and the induced thermal strain in a set of real physiological strain tests with human probands wearing the PPE in a climatic chamber. Based on the results, we compared the predictions using two thermophysiological models-Predicted Heat Strain Index (PHS) and FIALA-based model of thermal comfort (FMTK)-with the experimental data. In order to provide a user-friendly platform for the estimation of thermal stress in PPE, a user-friendly computational tool, Predictor of Thermal Stress (PTS), was developed. The PTS tool is based on an extensive database of simulated calculations using an FMTK model based on PPE characteristics, environmental conditions, individual parameters, and expected workload. The PTS tool was validated by means of the results from real tests in a climatic chamber. The PTS was shown to be an easy-to-use computational tool, which can be run on a regular PC, based on real data applicable for the estimation of the permissible work time limit with regard to thermal strain in PPE under various conditions.

English abstract

The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential to protect the human body in hazardous environments or where there is a risk of CBRN agents. However, PPE also poses a barrier to evaporative heat dissipation, therefore increasing heat accumulation in the body. In our research, we investigated the applicability of thermophysiological models for the prediction of thermal strain and the permissible working time in a contaminated environment when the usage of protective ensembles is required. We investigated the relationship between the thermal insulation characteristics of four types of PPE against CBRN agents and the induced thermal strain in a set of real physiological strain tests with human probands wearing the PPE in a climatic chamber. Based on the results, we compared the predictions using two thermophysiological models-Predicted Heat Strain Index (PHS) and FIALA-based model of thermal comfort (FMTK)-with the experimental data. In order to provide a user-friendly platform for the estimation of thermal stress in PPE, a user-friendly computational tool, Predictor of Thermal Stress (PTS), was developed. The PTS tool is based on an extensive database of simulated calculations using an FMTK model based on PPE characteristics, environmental conditions, individual parameters, and expected workload. The PTS tool was validated by means of the results from real tests in a climatic chamber. The PTS was shown to be an easy-to-use computational tool, which can be run on a regular PC, based on real data applicable for the estimation of the permissible work time limit with regard to thermal strain in PPE under various conditions.

Keywords in English

personal protective equipment; predictor of thermal stress; thermophysiological models; thermal manikin; climatic chamber

Released

15.06.2023

Publisher

MDPI

Location

BASEL

ISSN

2076-3417

Volume

13

Number

12

Pages from–to

1–22

Pages count

22

BIBTEX


@article{BUT184122,
  author="Kamila {Lunerová} and Barbora {Řehák Kopečková} and Jan {Pokorný} and Michal {Mašín} and David {Kaiser} and Vladimíra {Fialová} and Jan {Fišer},
  title="Applicability of Human Thermophysiological Model for Prediction of Thermal Strain in PPE",
  year="2023",
  volume="13",
  number="12",
  month="June",
  pages="1--22",
  publisher="MDPI",
  address="BASEL",
  issn="2076-3417"
}