BEIJING, September 16 (ChinaMil) -- A new-type environmental control system is used in the cabins of a new-type main battle tank of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) for the first time, improving the environment in driver's cabin of the tank, reporters recently learned from an armored force research institute under the General Armaments Department (GAD) of the PLA.

　　Huang Guansheng, a senior engineer of the institute, said that the temperature in the limited driver's cabin of the tank often exceeds 50 ℃ in summer, and such a high temperature environment can cause the accelerated physical consumption and aprosexia for crew members in the tank and even lead to dizziness and nausea in serious situations, affecting crew members' continuous combat capability.

　　In addition, as modern tanks are equipped with many sophisticated electronic devices, it is easier to cause short-circuit problem for some of these devices and lead to slow running of the information system in the tanks in high temperature environment, affecting the combat power of the tank.

　　The environmental control system equipped with a total of eight air outlets in the tank cabins can allow the temperature in the tank cabin to be 5 ℃ lower than that outside the tank when it is in motion in summer, according to sources.

　　In addition, it changes the previous single suspension-shock-absorption mode by mounting a damping device underneath each seat in the tank to achieve the secondary shock absorption; an air circulating system is installed to continuously supply fresh air into the tank and effectively prevent exhaust gas and smoke from entering the cabins through forming an "excess pressure" inside the tank cabins; and high-performance sound insulation boards are used in the power and crew cabins of the tank to effectively reduce the noise pollution.