High-tech cabins shelter pandemic control workers in winter weather
With the sporadic outbreaks of COVID-19 during the winter in China, small cabins were again erected at the entrances of major highways in Shanxi to be used as checkpoints for drivers and passengers.
Staying warm in cabins without access to an electricity grid was a major challenge to pandemic control workers when the virus spread through the country a year ago.
However, keeping warm is no longer a problem for health and public security workers in Shanxi this time, thanks to the new cabins.
At one of the highway entrances near Taiyuan, the temperature dropped to about 0 C on Feb 28 due to snow during the previous night. But inside the cabin, a meter on the wall showed it was 20 C.
The cabins were built by Huayang Group at the checkpoint in January and became a perfect shelter from the cold for health workers and police officers during their work.
The cabins look like freight containers but have adopted cuttingedge technologies from roof to floor.
Huayang Group is a high-tech and new materials branch under the coal-mining giant of Yangquan Coal Mining Group, based in the city of the same name.
Wang Huirong is a senior engineer at Huayang. She said the cabin, measuring 18 square meters in floor space, features three advanced materials developed by the company: aerogel, graphene and photovoltaic panels.
“Such materials form an independent energy supply and utilization system,” Wang said.
She explained that the photovoltaic panels on the roof can generate 14 kilowatt-hours of electricity a day, exceeding the cabin’s needs for heating and lighting. A power storage system ensures a continuous electricity supply.
“Also adding to energy efficiency is the use of aerogel materials inside the walls,” Wang said.
She explained that aerogel is among the best heat-insulating materials in the world.
“Aerogel also has high performance in fire resistance, contributing to the safety of the structure,” Wang said.
She added that the graphene heating film under the floor is highly efficient. It can raise the cabin’s temperature to a designated level within several minutes.
Huayang expects the checkpoint cabins will help promote its products to potential clients across the country.
“We received orders for more than 100 cabins in February. This is a great increase from the previous month,” said Wang Xiaoliang, an executive at Huayang Group.