On the viewing platform of the closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, the guests seated could feel the warmth of the seats even in the low temperature environment approaching minus zero. The reporter learned that with the support of the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission and the Zhongguancun Administrative Committee, the application of graphene flexible thermal management material technology independently developed by Beijing science and technology enterprises in the seats, carpets and tables of the opening ceremony venue creatively solved the worldwide problem of warm protection for large outdoor venues in low temperature environments.
Graphene heating sofa product renderings (courtesy of the interviewee)
In the environment of room temperature of -5 ° C in the Bird's Nest Stadium, where the spectators of the viewing platform sit and stand, the surface temperature of the carpet and seats can be close to the indoor state? This is a special experience for the people who watch the Bird's Nest during the closing ceremony. Sitting in the guest area of the viewing platform, just by tapping the control button on the outside of the sofa, you can realize the control of the heating temperature of the three seats of 47 °C, 37 °C and 30 °C. The carpet of the viewing platform also has a warm "protective cover", driven by the graphene intelligent temperature control system, the room temperature of the Bird's Nest Stadium is -5 °C, and the surface temperature of the carpet can reach 20 °C.
Chen Lijun, head of the special project of China Hangfa Graphene Materials Winter Olympics and chairman of Beijing Innovation Aishangjia Technology Co., Ltd. (Aijia Technology), introduced that at the closing ceremony, the interior of the bird's nest viewing platform chair, table, and guest area sofa were embedded in the new graphene flexible heating fabric material "Iv", which efficiently completed the heat guarantee and did not bring additional burdens to the power system.
Renderings of graphene heated seat products (courtesy of the interviewee)
As a semi-open venue, bird's nest will undoubtedly face severe low temperature challenges when hosting the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympic Games. The minimum temperature on the day of the opening ceremony is -6 °C, and the temperature on the day of the closing ceremony is about -2 °C. It is reported that since 2017, the Bird's Nest support team has investigated and compared several solutions at home and abroad, and after more than 3 years of program comparison, analyzed nearly 100 kinds of low-temperature environment warmth guarantee programs, and conducted a number of low-temperature simulation environmental tests to find "safe, reliable and comfortable" heating materials.
Eventually, the new material graphene black was chosen. Graphene is currently the material with the highest known thermal conductivity. In the case of energization, carbon molecules rub against each other and collide to produce thermal energy. The electric conversion efficiency of the new graphene material is more than 90%, and the electrical energy is efficiently converted into thermal energy after energization, and the thermal energy is evenly radiated out in a planar manner through the far infrared, which is well accepted by the human body and feels the warmth closest to the sun and from the inside out.
Safety and reliability are an important consideration when choosing a material to use. According to the technicians, because only 24V of low-voltage DIRECT CURRENT is required to efficiently drive this graphene material, it provides warmth for the viewing platform while also fully guaranteeing safety. In addition, this graphene material with a similar feel to cotton can be washed and cut at will, and its performance will not be affected by any water, and it can maintain safe and stable heat performance in rain and snow weather.
Safety is accompanied by energy savings. Due to the extremely high electrothermal conversion efficiency of graphene materials, heating and heat transfer can be achieved quickly at very low voltages without placing an additional burden on the power system. It is reported that after adding heated seats, low carbon and other guarantees, the total power demand of the entire Bird's Nest Viewing Platform is controlled at 0.098% of the overall power load of the Bird's Nest, less than one percent.
In addition to seat and carpet heating, graphene materials have previously been applied to the heating clothing and equipment of outdoor workers in the Winter Olympic Games. "The Winter Olympics is not only an arena for outstanding athletes from all over the world, but also a window and stage for displaying the achievements of scientific and technological innovation. The innovative application of graphene in the venue heating management system solution at the Winter Olympics is an important milestone in accelerating the development of multi-field applications of graphene new materials. Chen Lijun said.