US20120305570A1 - Fast freezer for bags with detection of the bag temperature - Google Patents

Fast freezer for bags with detection of the bag temperature Download PDF

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Publication number
US20120305570A1
US20120305570A1 US13/577,483 US201013577483A US2012305570A1 US 20120305570 A1 US20120305570 A1 US 20120305570A1 US 201013577483 A US201013577483 A US 201013577483A US 2012305570 A1 US2012305570 A1 US 2012305570A1
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
bags
plate
shelf
temperature
freezer
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US13/577,483
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English (en)
Inventor
Ciro Aprea
Maurizio Ascani
Maurizio Ragni
Alessandra Zamporlini
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Angelantoni Life Science SRL
Original Assignee
Angelantoni Life Science SRL
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Angelantoni Life Science SRL filed Critical Angelantoni Life Science SRL
Publication of US20120305570A1 publication Critical patent/US20120305570A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D31/00—Other cooling or freezing apparatus
    • F25D31/006—Other cooling or freezing apparatus specially adapted for cooling receptacles, e.g. tanks
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D25/00—Charging, supporting, and discharging the articles to be cooled
    • F25D25/02—Charging, supporting, and discharging the articles to be cooled by shelves
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01N—PRESERVATION OF BODIES OF HUMANS OR ANIMALS OR PLANTS OR PARTS THEREOF; BIOCIDES, e.g. AS DISINFECTANTS, AS PESTICIDES OR AS HERBICIDES; PEST REPELLANTS OR ATTRACTANTS; PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS
    • A01N1/00—Preservation of bodies of humans or animals, or parts thereof
    • A01N1/02—Preservation of living parts
    • A01N1/0236—Mechanical aspects
    • A01N1/0242—Apparatuses, i.e. devices used in the process of preservation of living parts, such as pumps, refrigeration devices or any other devices featuring moving parts and/or temperature controlling components
    • A01N1/0252—Temperature controlling refrigerating apparatus, i.e. devices used to actively control the temperature of a designated internal volume, e.g. refrigerators, freeze-drying apparatus or liquid nitrogen baths
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D25/00—Charging, supporting, and discharging the articles to be cooled
    • F25D25/02—Charging, supporting, and discharging the articles to be cooled by shelves
    • F25D25/028—Cooled supporting means
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D29/00—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a fast freezer for fluids inside bags, in particular bags of plasma.
  • Fast freezers for fluids inside bags which use a “contact” system for freezing are known in the prior art.
  • These freezers comprise a plurality of shelves arranged above each other and individually refrigerated (for example to a temperature of ⁇ 75° C.), each being associated with a non-refrigerated metal plate, called a uniformity plate, which is arranged above the shelf so as to rest thereon and which is hinged so as to be able to be raised from the surface of the shelf, allowing the bags to be arranged on or removed from the shelf itself.
  • each uniformity plate is pre-cooled by contact with the respective refrigerated shelf.
  • the bags to be frozen are then placed in an orderly manner on each shelf so that they are compressed between the shelf and the associated uniformity plate.
  • the uniformity plate “releases cold” to the bags. Subsequently, however, it is the bags which, by means of conduction, cool the uniformity plate. This allows rapid lowering of the temperature of the bag contents.
  • the temperature of the fluid inside the bags It is important, however, to know the temperature of the fluid inside the bags. For example, it is important to ensure that the bags reach a desired storage temperature within a predetermined time interval. In the case of bags of plasma, for example, it is envisaged that, in order to guarantee correct storage, they must reach a temperature lower than ⁇ 30° C. within one hour of being introduced into the freezer.
  • the use of a dummy bag, or sample bag, which does not contain plasma, but is provided internally with a temperature sensor has been proposed. Assuming that, during the cooling cycle, the temperatures inside the sample bag and real bags evolve in a substantially similar manner, the sample bag is positioned on a tray together with the normal bags to be frozen and the detection performed by its sensor is used as a measurement of the temperature of the bags, in order to check the time needed to reach the predetermined minimum storage temperature (for example, ⁇ 30° C.).
  • This system suffers from the drawback that it requires the user to position suitably the sample bag at the start of each freezing cycle. Moreover, the connections between the sensor inside the sample bag and the control and signalling system which manage the freezer may take up space and get in the way during introduction and extraction of the bags. A further drawback is that the use of the sample bags reduces the real loading capacity of the freezer.
  • the general object of the present invention is to provide a detection method and a freezer for bags, of the type with uniformity plates, which allows easy verification of the storage temperature reached by the bags and reliable checking of the bag cooling cycle.
  • a freezer for fluids inside bags comprising a freezing chamber containing a plurality of surfaces for storing bags, each surface comprising in turn a refrigerated shelf and an associated uniformity plate arranged above the shelf, the plates being hinged so as to be able to be raised from the respective shelf in order to store bags between the shelf and the plate, characterized in that at least one of the uniformity plates is provided with a temperature sensor for indirectly checking the temperature reached by the bags on the shelf.
  • the idea has arisen to provide a method for checking for correct freezing of bags of fluid inside a freezer of the type comprising a freezing chamber containing a plurality of surfaces for storing bags, each surface comprising in turn a refrigerated shelf and an associated uniformity plate arranged above the shelf, the plates being hinged so as to be able to be raised from the respective shelf in order to store bags between the shelf and the plate, the method comprising the steps of detecting the temperature of at least one zone of a uniformity plate resting on at least one bag and using the value measured as an indication of the temperature reached by the bags on the shelves.
  • FIG. 1 shows a partial, schematic perspective view of a freezer designed according to the principles of the invention
  • FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional schematic view of a detail of the freezer according to FIG. 1 .
  • FIG. 1 shows a freezer, denoted generally by 10 , designed according to the invention.
  • the freezer 10 comprises a freezing chamber 11 which is thermally insulated and closed by an access door 12 for the refrigerated storage of fluid inside bags.
  • the chamber contains a plurality of surfaces 13 for the orderly arrangement of the bags to be refrigerated (schematically indicated by 20 in FIG. 2 ).
  • the bags contain biological fluids, in particular plasma, which must be frozen at a predefined temperature within a predetermined time interval in order to be able to guarantee correct storage thereof.
  • Each surface 13 comprises in turn a refrigerated shelf 14 associated with a uniformity plate 15 made of thermally conductive material and arranged above the shelf so as to rest with its bottom surface against the top surface of the shelf, which is also made of thermally conductive material (for example, anodized aluminium).
  • the plate 15 is hinged at the rear at 16 so that it can be raised from the surface of the shelf by means of a special handle 17 .
  • At least one of the uniformity plates is provided with a temperature sensor 18 advantageously positioned on the top surface of the plate in order to detect the temperature of said surface.
  • the sensor 18 may advantageously have a length approximately comparable to the dimensions of a bag which can be stored between plate and shelf.
  • the sensor may be of the composite type, namely formed for example by several sensors distributed at various points along said length and connected so as to have a temperature measurement which is the mean of the temperatures detected at these points.
  • the position of the sensor 18 on the plate advantageously coincides with the underlying position for storing a bag on the associated shelf, as can be seen more clearly in FIG. 2 .
  • the zone of the plate which contains the sensor is close to a side edge of the plate.
  • the zone of the uniformity plate containing the sensor 18 is advantageously defined by incisions 19 which are formed in the plate at least in the transverse direction (namely in the direction transverse to the rear hinging axis of the plate and to the access opening of the freezing chamber 11 ).
  • the incisions 19 have the function of reducing the heat transmission between the plate zone supporting the sensor and the rest of the plate so that the temperature detected is influenced minimally by external factors. It is obviously possible to use one or more sensors 18 for each shelf inside the freezer. However, to avoid having to measure the temperature on each shelf, it has been found to be advantageous to position the sensor 18 only on the uniformity plate resting on the shelf where the bags reach last the desired storage temperature.
  • This shelf inside the chamber 11 depends on the constructional characteristics of the freezer and can be easily determined at the design stage.
  • the configuration of the system and the freezing chamber is such that the bags placed on the bottom shelf are the last to freeze and therefore usually the sensor is positioned on the plate of this bottom shelf.
  • loading of the bags must be performed preferably starting from the shelf associated with said plate. In this way, if loading of the bags is performed starting from the shelf provided with the sensor and, in particular, from the zone situated underneath the sensor, there is the guarantee, by means of the measurement performed on a single shelf, that “safety” conditions exist also for the bags situated on the other shelves.
  • the bags are compressed between the plate and the shelf.
  • the hinging axis 16 may also be provided with a known articulation (not shown) so as to adapt automatically the distance between plate and shelf depending on the thickness of the bags inserted between them, so as to keep the facing surfaces of plate and shelf substantially parallel.
  • the plate may be rested with its bottom surface in contact with the top surface of the shelf, while when the bags are present it may press uniformly against the bags themselves, compressing them with its weight against the shelf.
  • a spring for providing an additional thrusting force may also be provided.
  • each shelf is cooled by a cooling circuit 21 which forms part of a known refrigeration system 22 which can be easily imagined by the person skilled in the art and therefore need not be further illustrated and described here.
  • the cooling temperature of the shelves may be advantageously in the region of ⁇ 75° C.
  • the sensor 18 is connected to an electronic system 23 for controlling operation of the freezer, which is equipped with a device or console 24 for displaying and entering commands and which is accessible from the outside of the freezer.
  • the control system for example of the type with suitably programmed microprocessor
  • the display and command device for example equipped with monitor, display and/or indicator lamps and command keyboard and/or pushbuttons
  • monitor, display and/or indicator lamps and command keyboard and/or pushbuttons are known per se and can be easily imagined by the person skilled in the art. They shall therefore not be further shown or described here.
  • the bags may be loaded in an orderly manner on the shelves, starting from the position where the sensor 18 is present.
  • the control system checks the temperature detected by the sensor so as to be able to determine that the desired temperature for storage of the bags has been reached within the set time interval.
  • the temperature detected will first show an increase due to the initial release of heat to the plate by the bag situated underneath the sensor. After this, the temperature detected will start to drop following transmission of heat between plate, bag and refrigerated shelf. The values recorded during this temperature drop provide an indication of the temperature of the bags being cooled. Obviously, the temperature detected will generally be lower than the real temperature of the bags, but the difference may be easily taken into account during calibration of the system. There is in fact no need for a precise measurement of the temperature reached by the bags, but an indication that a threshold value for correct storage (for example, ⁇ 30° C.) has at least been reached. It may thus be considered that at least one predetermined temperature for storage of the bags has been reached when the temperature detected by the sensor is less than said storage temperature by a given amount.
  • a threshold value for correct storage for example, ⁇ 30° C.
  • the temperature sensor on the plate indicates a temperature of less than ⁇ 40° C.
  • the predefined amount for the temperature difference is therefore advantageously ⁇ 10° C.
  • the control system may therefore detect (and if necessary signal by means of the device 24 ) that the storage temperature has been reached and check that the time taken is in keeping with the predetermined parameters, for example that it takes less than one hour to reach ⁇ 30° C., as stipulated by the standards for the storage of bags of plasma. The result of this check may also be indicated on the device 24 and if necessary stored for future use.
  • the predetermined freezing temperature of the bags has been correctly reached if the temperature recorded in the given plate zone reaches a value lower than said freezing temperature by the predefined amount within a predefined time interval (advantageously one hour) following introduction of the bags into the freezer. It is therefore possible to know indirectly whether the bags of plasma have been correctly frozen.
  • the system according to the invention does not reduce the useful space inside the freezer and does not require the user to perform particular operations, apart from that of loading the bags of plasma starting from a certain predetermined position. This therefore results in easier use compared to the known systems which use sample bags with internal sensors.
  • the incision in the uniformity plate extending along the whole working depth of the plate allows isolation of the plate zone intended to store two bags or the long bag and in this way allows in both cases correct measurement by the sensor.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Dentistry (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Zoology (AREA)
  • Environmental Sciences (AREA)
  • Devices That Are Associated With Refrigeration Equipment (AREA)
  • Medical Preparation Storing Or Oral Administration Devices (AREA)
  • Warehouses Or Storage Devices (AREA)
  • Packages (AREA)
  • Cold Air Circulating Systems And Constructional Details In Refrigerators (AREA)
US13/577,483 2010-02-12 2010-12-15 Fast freezer for bags with detection of the bag temperature Abandoned US20120305570A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ITMI2010A000218A IT1397926B1 (it) 2010-02-12 2010-02-12 Congelatore rapido per sacche con rilevazione della temperatura delle sacche.
ITMI2010A000218 2010-02-12
PCT/IB2010/055837 WO2011098872A1 (en) 2010-02-12 2010-12-15 Fast freezer for bags with detection of the bag temperature

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20120305570A1 true US20120305570A1 (en) 2012-12-06

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US13/577,483 Abandoned US20120305570A1 (en) 2010-02-12 2010-12-15 Fast freezer for bags with detection of the bag temperature

Country Status (18)

Country Link
US (1) US20120305570A1 (ru)
EP (1) EP2534435B1 (ru)
JP (1) JP5462376B2 (ru)
KR (1) KR20120125544A (ru)
CN (1) CN102792112A (ru)
AU (1) AU2010345343B2 (ru)
BR (1) BR112012019895A2 (ru)
CA (1) CA2789531A1 (ru)
ES (1) ES2438516T3 (ru)
HK (1) HK1174380A1 (ru)
IL (1) IL221319A0 (ru)
IT (1) IT1397926B1 (ru)
MX (1) MX2012009322A (ru)
NZ (1) NZ601715A (ru)
RU (1) RU2012134342A (ru)
TW (1) TW201141452A (ru)
WO (1) WO2011098872A1 (ru)
ZA (1) ZA201206324B (ru)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2015114516A1 (en) * 2014-01-28 2015-08-06 Instituto Superior Técnico System and method of preservation, storage and transport of biological materials
US9140482B2 (en) 2013-09-30 2015-09-22 Thermo Fisher Scientific (Asheville) Llc Removable storage basket and associated methods for storing items within a freezer
WO2018219720A1 (en) * 2017-06-02 2018-12-06 B Medical Systems S.à r.l. Medical contact shock freezer

Families Citing this family (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2013151553A1 (en) * 2012-04-05 2013-10-10 Intel Corporation Method and apparatus for managing product placement on store shelf
CN103206825B (zh) * 2013-04-16 2015-03-25 青岛澳柯玛超低温冷冻设备有限公司 一拖多智能化新型速冻机
CN108142414B (zh) * 2018-01-06 2022-03-15 鄂东医疗集团市中心医院 干细胞低温保存箱
CN107926932B (zh) * 2018-01-06 2021-03-19 成都赋智健康科技有限公司 干细胞保存箱
CN108177878A (zh) * 2018-01-06 2018-06-19 谷昌德 脐带血干细胞低温保存装置

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20040237564A1 (en) * 2001-12-12 2004-12-02 John Zevlakis Liquid milk freeze/thaw apparatus and method
US20070163289A1 (en) * 2006-01-14 2007-07-19 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Refrigerator and method for producing supercooled liquid
US20080092566A1 (en) * 2006-10-20 2008-04-24 Rand Thomas W Single evaporator refrigerator/freezer unit with interdependent temperature control
US20090064707A1 (en) * 2007-07-09 2009-03-12 Electrolux Home Products, Inc. Fast freeze shelf
US7628029B2 (en) * 2004-01-09 2009-12-08 Technican Company Ltd. Quick-freezing method and device for food with liquid surface contact

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FR752114A (fr) * 1932-08-16 1933-09-16 Appareil réfrigérant à circulation de saumure
IT1197212B (it) * 1986-09-12 1988-11-30 Samifi Stal Spa Dispositivo per distanziare, nelle misure desiderate, le piastre refrigeranti, nei congelatori a piastre orizzontali
FR2632391A1 (fr) * 1988-06-07 1989-12-08 Trapani Sauveur Dispositif de congelation rapide de poches de plasma et produits sanguins analogues
JPH02217773A (ja) * 1989-02-16 1990-08-30 Dairei:Kk ブライン冷蔵装置
WO2003037082A1 (en) * 2001-11-01 2003-05-08 Integrated Biosystems, Inc. Systems and methods for freezing, storing and thawing biopharmaceutical material

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20040237564A1 (en) * 2001-12-12 2004-12-02 John Zevlakis Liquid milk freeze/thaw apparatus and method
US7628029B2 (en) * 2004-01-09 2009-12-08 Technican Company Ltd. Quick-freezing method and device for food with liquid surface contact
US20070163289A1 (en) * 2006-01-14 2007-07-19 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Refrigerator and method for producing supercooled liquid
US20080092566A1 (en) * 2006-10-20 2008-04-24 Rand Thomas W Single evaporator refrigerator/freezer unit with interdependent temperature control
US20090064707A1 (en) * 2007-07-09 2009-03-12 Electrolux Home Products, Inc. Fast freeze shelf

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US9140482B2 (en) 2013-09-30 2015-09-22 Thermo Fisher Scientific (Asheville) Llc Removable storage basket and associated methods for storing items within a freezer
WO2015114516A1 (en) * 2014-01-28 2015-08-06 Instituto Superior Técnico System and method of preservation, storage and transport of biological materials
US10208280B2 (en) * 2014-01-28 2019-02-19 Instituto Superior Tecnico System and method of preservation, storage and transport of biological materials
WO2018219720A1 (en) * 2017-06-02 2018-12-06 B Medical Systems S.à r.l. Medical contact shock freezer
US11612679B2 (en) 2017-06-02 2023-03-28 B. Medical Systems S.a.r.l. Medical contact shock freezer
US11679183B2 (en) 2017-06-02 2023-06-20 B. Medical Systems S.a.r.l. Medical contact shock freezer

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
MX2012009322A (es) 2012-11-30
NZ601715A (en) 2013-07-26
HK1174380A1 (en) 2013-06-07
ITMI20100218A1 (it) 2011-08-13
ES2438516T3 (es) 2014-01-17
EP2534435B1 (en) 2013-09-04
AU2010345343B2 (en) 2014-05-01
KR20120125544A (ko) 2012-11-15
CN102792112A (zh) 2012-11-21
ZA201206324B (en) 2013-10-30
IT1397926B1 (it) 2013-02-04
AU2010345343A1 (en) 2012-08-30
JP5462376B2 (ja) 2014-04-02
RU2012134342A (ru) 2014-03-20
EP2534435A1 (en) 2012-12-19
JP2013519857A (ja) 2013-05-30
CA2789531A1 (en) 2011-08-18
BR112012019895A2 (pt) 2016-05-03
WO2011098872A1 (en) 2011-08-18
TW201141452A (en) 2011-12-01
IL221319A0 (en) 2012-10-31

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