X-Message-Number: 18699
From: 
Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 14:23:23 EST
Subject: new cryostat performance

Our latest cryostat, a cylindrical design on which we outsourced the 
fabrication, holds six patients and incorporates an improved design using no 
bottom supports, as well as a special vacuum-insulated top made by Andy 
Zawacki. 

Performance has exceeded our expectations--boiloff of about 3 liters per day 
per patient. (Our older units average around 7 liters per day per patient.) 
Combining this improvement with our now reduced cost of nitrogen, the cost 
per patent for nitrogen should (in units of this type) be only a little over 
$200 per year. If I am not mistaken, this is at least as good as the Alcor 
MVE type units--plus the advantage of much more rugged construction and no 
emergency in case of a loss of vacuum.

I repeat, however, that nitrogen is not a major part of the overhead of any 
organization, and the saving as a percentage of our total expenses is not 
large. Even so, it is welcome, and in a hunker-down scenario we could operate 
with very low overhead.

The capital cost per patient is also down now, to around $3,000 per patient. 
This had formerly, for many years, held at around $5,000 per patient (whole 
body). 

Robert Ettinger
Cryonics Institute
Immortalist Society
www.cryonics.org

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