Chennai: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has got an Indian patent for its liquid cooling and heating garment (LCHG) that is suitable for space applications.
The patent is valid for 20 years from the date of application, that is, February 8, 2016, and was granted on June 19.
While ISRO is the patentee or patent owner, the four inventors are Srirangam Siripothu, Reshmi Balachandran, Saraswathi Kesava Pillai Manu, and Gurumurthy Chandrasekaran.
According to the patent papers filed by ISRO, the garment made of biocompatible fabrics and parts to provide comfortable body temperature and removal of sweat.
These garments find use in manned space flights and also for earth-bound operations such as firefighting, working in industries and the like, the Indian space agency said in its filings.
The close-fitting, single-piece garment covering the body, torso and limbs from neck to toe weighs between 1,000 to 3,000 g and has front-entry zipper to be worn inside over which the flight or the space suit is to be worn.
According to ISRO, the garment has superior heat transfer efficiency and can be conveniently used for maintaining the body temperature of the wearer at levels suitable for the physiological performance required.
The LCHG controls the body temperature of the wearer comprising outer polymeric fabric tricot and inner polymeric fabric net in contact with the wearer’s skin.
The outer and inner layer of the garment are separated by a plurality of tubes configured to circulate a heat transfer fluid.
The tube is arranged in such a way that it covers the entire body without any overlaps and remove maximum heat from the wearer.
The Indian space agency is working on an ambitious Rs 10,000-crore project ‘Gaganyaan’ to send three air force pilots into space for a week.
Four Indian Air Force pilots are undergoing astronaut training in Russia. Out of these, three will travel into space at a height of about 400 km.
