PROTECTIVE CLOTHING BASED ON PERMSELECTIVE MEMBRANE AND CARBON ADSORPTION
The goal of this project was to develop chemical protective clothing for use by DOE decontamination and decommissioning workers that is sufficiently water vapor permeable to keep the workers cool, thereby enhancing their productivity. This report describes the results of Phase II of a two-phase project to complete development of the novel permselective material and to test protective clothing made from the fabric. In Phase I a novel material incorporating a nonporous hydrophilic polyvinylacohol (PVA) layer, which is water vapor permeable but relatively impermeable to organic vapors, was developed. The results of the Phase I tests showed that the chemical resistance of the MTR material is comparable to that of Saranex/Tyvek materials, and that the comfort properties are closer to those of Tyvek (as measured in terms of CLO and permeability). Chemical resistance was measured using permeation tests against liquid dichloromethane. Comfort properties were ascertained by measuring the water vapor transmission of the material and by sweating manikin tests on whole protective suits. In addition, a cost/benefit analysis demonstrated that use of MTR's material technology could result in significant improvements in work productivity and cost savings if protective clothing items made from the new material were used more than once. In Phase II, MTR undertook a program to optimize the performance and production engineering for the new material technology. A partnership was formed with Kimberly-Clark Corporation to assist with a detailed evaluation of the MTR technology, and MTR used the services of Mr. Jeff Stull, President of the consulting firm International Personnel Protection, Inc., who conducted a detailed economic and application analysis for the developed fabric. The protective fabric manufacturing steps were simplified significantly, resulting in a 30% reduction in manufacturing costs and eliminating the necessity for capital investment in production equipment. Protective suits were prepared in collaboration with Kimberly-Clark Corporation and heat stress testing with human test subjects was carried out by the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE). The tests confirmed that the MTR protective fabric is significantly more comfortable than non-breathable materials. A cost analysis was developed from the properties of the optimized protective fabric and the results of the of the IUOE field study to determine the potential for the MTR material technology within the chemical protective clothing market. A detailed assessment of the specific chemical protective clothing applications for which the material can be used and its competitiveness with existing material technology, based both on expected performance and material/end item costs, was prepared. Three specific market opportunities identified for the novel protective fabric are: (1) liquid splash protective clothing for hazardous waste site operations, (2) liquid splash protective clothing for emergency response, and (3) Class 3 NFPA 1994-compliant protective clothing for civilian use during chemical terrorism incidents.
- Research Organization:
- Membrane Technology and Research, Inc. (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC21-93MC30179
- OSTI ID:
- 826316
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 7 Nov 2001
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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