Method and system for regulating the mixture of cryogen liquid and warm gas for a controlled rate cryogenic chiller or freezing system

摘要

A method and system for controlled rate freezing and nucleation of materials is provided. The presently disclosed system and method provides the ability to rapidly cool the materials contained in vials or other containers within a cooling unit via forced convective cooling using a laminar and uniform flow of cryogen in proximity to the plurality of vials disposed within the cooling unit. The rapid cooling of the biological materials is achieved by precisely controlling and adjusting the temperature of the cryogen being introduced to the system as a function of time. The presently disclosed methods to systems also provide nucleation control via temperature quench and depressurized nucleation control.

主权项

1. A method for controlling gas temperature in a controlled rate cryogenic chiller or freezing system comprising:
providing a plurality of containers in a cooling chamber; providing a material in each of the plurality of containers; providing a source of warm gas; providing a source of liquid cryogen; mixing the warm gas with the liquid cryogen to produce a cryogenic cold gas; and providing a uniform flow of the cryogenic cold gas relative to the plurality of containers in the cooling chamber wherein the flow of the cryogenic cold gas provided to the cooling chamber is substantially unidirectional and along a longitudinal axis of each of the plurality of containers in a manner that prevents recirculation of the cryogenic cold gas within the cooling chamber and wherein heat is transferred between the material in each of the plurality of containers and the cryogenic cold gas; and wherein a temperature of the cryogenic cold gas is adjusted or controlled by regulating a flow rate of the warm gas and a flow rate of the liquid cryogen.