X-Message-Number: 2056
Date: Sat, 3 Apr 93 18:49:38 CST
From: Brian Wowk <>
Subject: CRYONICS Reply to Ettinger

Robert Ettinger:
 
> 5.  Although Brian Wowk has offered intriguing ideas for simple/safe
> regulation of temperature in a not-so-cold room, it might be a good
> idea to wait a little before settling for foam.  As previously noted,
> at least two new insulators may be available in the relatively near
> future.  One involves evacuated panel modules for kitchen
> refrigerators, supposedly near commercial production and better than
> foam by a factor of at least two or three.
 
> The other is rigid open-cell foam.  With this, one could get something
> like evacuated perlite efficacy in an incompressible medium--no
> internal bracing required for rectangular cryostats.  This would
> greatly increase the size required before one would want to go to
> unevacuated foam or powder.  The thing is, such (rigid, open-cell)
> foam exists, or has existed, but is not currently commercially
> available.  It might take collective financing to pursue this.
 
        Thanks to Professor Ettinger once more for his thoughtful 
comments.  I believe old-fashioned foam is the best insulation for ~100 
patient storage system such as the one we are contemplating.  Vacuum 
systems (hard or soft) are inherently cranky and unstable.  Multiple 
independent vacuum panels are intriguing, however they are not yet 
available and raise many questions about economy and life expectancy.  
Alcor needs a new builing soon.  If a sound case can be made, ground 
could be broken for a Cold Room within a year. 
 
> 9.  Repeating myself yet again for emphasis, I don't think we should
> go charging off in all directions, at least with any serious
> commitment of time or money, until we have some reasonably clear
> evidence that there will be a payoff in improving the patients'
> chances.
 
        The purpose of this discussion is to converge thinking toward a 
good design.  The payoff will be a robust, economical system for storage 
that is at least as good as liquid nitrogen.
 
                                                --- Brian Wowk

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