Naomi Dunning-Foreman introduces a new walk-in chamber
The coldest place on earth is unsurprisingly the Antarctic, with temperatures regularly reaching -70°C. In research and industrial settings alike, the need for storing products and samples at ultra-low temperatures is constantly increasing. It is now possible to replicate these bone-chilling temperatures in an innovative, efficient storage solution.
Although upright freezers to store products at -70°C are readily available, they are relatively small in size. Consequently, the storage of multiple/large items often requires the use of numerous freezers; thereby resulting in increased power, floor space and service and support costs. Moreover, the larger (and fuller) a conventional upright freezer becomes, the harder it is to organise, locate and access items at the rear of the cabinet.
The larger the volume of products or samples to be stored, and the more frequently personnel require access to these, the more important it becomes to have a walk-in design.
Indeed, the use of multiple upright freezers can present major operational problems for businesses as personnel can lose a lot of time removing items from the cabinet to reach samples/products at the back, only to have to put them back in after they find the desired item. This process is not only a waste of staff time but also the removed items are affected, energy is wasted and the overall temperature control of the freezer is compromised.
To address the challenges with using multiple, single upright freezers, Source BioScience has developed a storage solution that tackles the current restrictions and incorporates a number of advanced features.
The Source BioScience -70°C walk-in chamber is a purpose-designed chamber with an internal volume of 50m3 that can be installed in a standard facility/building environment. The active refrigeration equipment is housed in factory built and tested mechanical/electrical pack.
The only one of its kind in the UK, the chamber is designed to allow easy installation in an existing stability suite environment.
Boasting a fully ‘validated void’, traceable to national standards (UKAS/NIST), this product provides -70°C storage capability with a ±5°C operating tolerance. For customisation, the chamber design allows the integrated shelving to be configured to suit both small and large product dimensions.
Requiring significantly less power and floor space than the number of upright freezers required to provide a comparable storage volume, the new walk-in chamber incorporates a high-efficiency insulated enclosure, incorporating 200mm thick section PIR insulated foam construction.
Customers with precious item storage requirements can rest assured; each -70°C walk-in chamber features a dual-refrigeration system, providing 100% operating redundancy to ensure 24/7 operating compliance.
Finally, the built-in safety features ensure that the operational risk to users is kept at a minimum.
This system has been developed to meet the growing demand for volume storage within the Source BioScience stability suites at ultra-low temperatures, whilst offering a flexible, cost- and space-efficient solution that can be provided as an equipment sale to clients with a similar in-house demand for ultra-low-temperature volume storage.
For more information, visit www.scientistlive.com/eurolab
Naomi Dunning-Foreman is scientific writer with Source BioScience.
