How heat waves are fueling the development of personal refrigeration technology

Last summer’s temperature records, the return of the El Niño climate phenomenon and the ongoing global warming have markedly increased interest in personal refrigeration technologies. When the temperature outside exceeds +35–45°C, and the air conditioner with a fan remains indoors, the developers offer special devices, fabrics, materials and technologies that allow you to cool down even on the go. The personal cooling technology market is growing rapidly with some companies reporting a threefold increase in sales in the last 2-3 years, and the global market will increase from $5.8 billion in 2022 to $8.3 billion in 2030.

Cool down who can

By data World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the beginning of July was the hottest on record. On July 7, a new temperature record was set: the global average temperature reached 17.24°C, up 0.3°C from the previous record set in August 2016. June 2023 was also the warmest on record. In general, as shown analysis WMO, the last eight years (2015-2022) have been the warmest on record. Annual global temperatures were at least 1°C above pre-industrial levels (1850–1900). 2016, 2019 and 2020 were especially distinguished.

For Europe and North America last summer was characterized by record heat over 40°C and, as a result, the largest forest fires. Around 100,000 people die or die prematurely from heat every year around the world. By data insurance company Allianz, since the beginning of this year, the heat has already reduced 0.6% of global GDP. American doctors note that climate change and constant heat waves lead to a decrease in working capacity – on a global scale, this pours out in the loss of approximately 295 billion working hours per year.

Not surprisingly, experts are seeing a growing demand not only for air conditioning systems to help survive the heat in the premises, but also for personal cooling technologies. First of all, this applies to those who work on the street – builders, farmers, lumberjacks, couriers, policemen, military, etc. For example, the technology startup TechNiche, which produces special cooling work vests, has already provided they are 150 thousand builders of sports facilities for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where heat over 40 degrees is a common occurrence.

Cooling work vests work in approximately the same way – plates / thin reservoirs with pre-chilled or frozen gel or plain water are inserted into the vest. The tanks release cold for several hours, after which the heated plates can be replaced with new, cooled ones, which makes it possible to “cool down” to work a full day. By estimated Verified Market Research, the global market for cooling vests was estimated at $410 million in 2021, and should grow to $625 million by 2030. The American company Qore Performance has been supplies cooling work vests not only to private corporations such as Boeing and FedEx, but also to the US Air Force. Since 2020, the company’s sales have grown by 300%.

Sports technology

Technologies associated with “breathable” fabrics are also undergoing rapid development. People involved in sports or leading an active lifestyle are already familiar with such clothing and accessories. Vapor permeability parameters, that is, the ability of a fabric to remove steam from the body through clothing, thus cooling the body and protecting it from the greenhouse effect, have long been indicated on membrane and other “breathable” jackets for hiking, running, skiing and alpine skiing, etc. T-shirts, T-shirts, shorts and underwear made of synthetic materials (polyester, spandex, etc.) have become another integral part of an active lifestyle, which are woven in such a way that sweat and steam from the body are removed during exercise, and the clothes themselves do not get wet from the inside like regular cotton.

There are in the arsenal of sports accessories and cooling. Unlike bulky work vests, they are so tiny that they can be carried in your pocket and used when needed.

We are talking about cooling bandages on the head. They are divided into three types – traditional dressings, which only absorb sweat and take it out; bandages from special fabrics that can be wetted with water, after which they not only absorb and remove sweat, but also cool the head with the help of a “wet towel” effect. This effect can last up to two hours, after which the bandage can be wetted again. There are also bandages with active element inside (usually with a special gel) that can be cooled and even frozen so that for several hours it cools the head quite intensively.

But if earlier “breathable” clothing was associated, as a rule, only with sports companies, now more and more manufacturers of ordinary clothing are introducing products with such fabrics into their range. This year Macy’s retail chain significantly has expanded its range of breathable and cooling fabrics as demand for these products rises in record-breaking heat. In an interview with Reuters, Macy’s senior vice president of brand strategy, Emily Erusha-Hillek, said the company continues to expand its purchases of such apparel and is conducting its own product trials. In addition to materials already traditional for such clothing, such as polyester, the retailer purchased clothing from relatively new materials, such as lyocell, which is highly breathable, and semi-synthetic viscose fabric modal, similar in effect to natural silk.

Other traditional retailers are also ramping up their production of functional materials. For example, the Indonesian textile company PT Golden Tekstil, which serves the Polo Ralph Lauren brand, has increased the production of breathable fabrics by 20-30% in recent years. Japanese company Uniqlo has also expanded its AIRism line, which includes clothing made from a super-thin, breathable polyester/rayon blend.

By counting Fortune Business Insights, the global cooling fabric market was valued at $1.9 billion in 2021 and will reach $2.7 billion by 2028—an average annual market growth of 4.5%.

IN interview TechNiche startup managing director James Russell told research firm Wunderman Thompson Intelligence that innovative fiber fibers now exist that can reduce perceived temperature by 15°C. Now his company is developing overalls with built-in sensors that allow you to monitor the temperature and humidity of the surface of the human body in order to send an alarm signal to the rescue service if necessary (overheating or hypothermia).

I carry everything with me

The personal cooling technology market is not limited to clothing, fabrics and accessories. The world’s leading manufacturers of home appliances are increasingly developing wearable devices to cool the owner. By estimated Zion Market Research, the global market for portable cooling devices was estimated at $5.8 billion in 2022, and will grow to $8.3 billion by 2030. Companies such as LG, Dyson, De Longhi, Panasonic, Fujitsu, Mitsubishi are engaged in the production of such devices , Haier, etc. For example, Sony releases The compact Reon Pocket device weighs only about 90 g and is half the size of a conventional smartphone. The device is attached to the lower neck and upper back, and, according to the testers, cools the wearer’s body “like an ice cube.” The operating mode and temperature are controlled via the application on the smartphone.

If the Sony device is still new to the market for personal cooling gadgets, then there are already so many compact wearable fans that reviewers have to do reviews and rank them. Working principle approx. similar – a device is put on the neck or around the head, from the holes of which a stream of cool air flows, blowing the neck, face and entire head of the owner.

Last year, Stanford University researchers brought a compact cooling device to market. CoolMitt, which is a thermos connected to a special thermal sleeve. Cold water or water with ice is poured into the thermos, cold water is transferred through the tube to the microtubes inside the mitt. The authors claim that the thermos is able to hold the temperature for up to eight hours, during which the owner can cool down at any time by placing his hand in a cool mitten. It is noted that the device can be useful to tourists at a halt, athletes involved in the gym or on street simulators, firefighters, the military, or anyone who does not have an air conditioner or fan at home.

Evgeniy Khvostik