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Articles tagged with "thermal-energy"

  • Are Those Viral ‘Cooling Blankets’ for Real?

    The article examines the popular concept of "cooling blankets" circulating on social media, clarifying that most marketed products do not truly cool the body. While these blankets may be more breathable and less heat-retentive than traditional blankets, they do not actively lower body temperature; in fact, simply having no blanket is generally cooler. The article explains the physics behind temperature and heat transfer, emphasizing that heat flows from warmer to cooler objects until equilibrium is reached, and that "coolness" cannot be transferred. Blankets function primarily as insulators, slowing heat exchange between the body and the environment. When a person is hot and uses a blanket, it usually traps heat and makes them feel warmer unless the surrounding air is hotter than body temperature. However, a blanket initially cooler than the body can absorb some thermal energy, providing a brief cooling effect until temperatures equalize. The article suggests that an effective cooling blanket would need a high mass and specific heat capacity to absorb more body heat and maintain a cooler temperature

    energythermal-energyheat-transferspecific-heat-capacityinsulationcooling-technologymaterials-science
  • NREL Researcher Craig Turchi Brings Small Business Experience to Big Concentrating Solar Projects

    energysolar-powerconcentrating-solar-powerthermal-energyrenewable-energyenergy-efficiencyNREL
  • Phase-Shifting Hot Bricks Pack More Energy Storage Punch Into Smaller Spaces

    energyenergy-storagethermal-energyrenewable-energysolar-energywind-energyindustrial-processes