DOE’s Office of Science and Technology is funding the Accelerated Site Technology Deployment (ASTD) program to reduce the cost of environmental management and accelerate cleanup throughout the complex.

The Personal Ice Cooling System (PICS) is a self-contained core body temperature control system that enables workers wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) in hot environments to keep cool without inhibiting their ability to do various types of work. The demonstration and first deployment of PICS were successful, and a second promising deployment is currently under way at the Savannah River Site.

The PICS is an undergarmentlike suit made of a nonflammable material. An umbilical cord connects tubing sewn into the material to a 2-liter bottle of frozen tap water stored in an insulated backpack. A three-speed, battery-powered pump circulates ice water through the tubing. Water bottles can be easily removed from the backpack and exchanged as needed, and the only supporting equipment needed is a freezer and temporary cold storage for replacement bottles.

The entire system weighs approximately 12 pounds; however, actual weight varies depending on the suit’s size and the type of material used to construct it. The torso portion of the suit can be worn with a hood and pants, depending on the amount of cooling needed. The garment is worn under the first layer of PPE and is considered personal clothing, so it can be laundered normally. The backpack harness system can be worn either inside or outside PPE. If worn outside, it can be decontaminated by standard decontamination practices.

The PICS was developed by Delta Temax, Inc. in 1996, under sponsorship of the Lab-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program, which enables individual laboratories to determine useful projects and then allocates funding for them. The PICS was demonstrated in September 1997 as part of the Fernald Plant 1 Large-Scale Demonstration and Deployment Project (LSDDP) sponsored by OST’s Deactivation and Decommissioning Focus Area, and the results were promising. PICS offers significant advantages when temperatures are above 85°F. In fact, the higher the temperature, the greater the increases in stay time and productivity. The PICS significantly reduces labor and PPE costs.

Once validated, the PICS became part of the 1998 Integrated Decontamination and Decommissioning Project at Fernald under the Accelerated Site Technology Deployment (ASTD) program (see Initiatives, Winter 1998). The deployment of 10 suits at Fernald was a success according to Dr. Clifton Stine, project manager for ASTD and D&D, yielding results similar to its demonstration during the Fernald Plant 1 LSDDP. The PICS has undergone some minor changes since its development. “The basic suit and principles behind it haven’t changed,” Stine says, “but adjustments in seams and seam locations have improved comfort, mobility, and strength.”

A PICS is being tested at the Savannah River Site under varying climatic conditions and work activities, such as painting and climbing scaffolding. This test also seems to be a success: it has increased productivity and allowed people to work comfortably and safely in areas of high heat stress for longer periods of time. This is just the beginning for PICS, according to Stine: “These things tend to grow. Once a technology is validated, other sites become interested in it, and there is interest in this technology across the complex.”

More deployments are planned under another ASTD project out of Fernald. The site is in the process of purchasing about 100 additional PICS to be distributed across the complex. As part of the project, several PICS will be transferred to the Nevada Test Site and Hanford, and each site will develop its own deployment strategies.

For more information, contact Clifton Stine at (208) 526-0764, clif@inel.gov.