X-Message-Number: 2151
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 93 15:39:31 CDT
From: Brian Wowk <>
Subject: CRYONICS Portable Storage

Thomas Donaldson:
 
> Moreover, the economics of it become easier if single patient modules can
> be added for each patient, rather than building a big system which will
> remain almost empty for a long time.
 
        I am still in the process of preparing a detailed cost 
analysis.  However, I can already say this much: Both the capital 
costs and operating costs of a 100+ person Cold Room are about 
equivalent to *five* Bigfoot dewars.  We will therefore need only 20 
new whole body patients to equal the economy of our current system.  
This should happen within five years, maybe less.  It is highly likely 
that any scalable, modular system developed to save money during this 
first five years would end up costing much more over the long haul.  
 
> Can you devise a system for freezing at higher than LN2 that is at
> the same time compact and mobile? ?
 
        I am sympathetic to these security concerns.  I believe the 
best approach is to develop independent strategies for moving/hiding 
patients during emergencies rather than design our primary storage 
system around these concerns.
 
        For example, non-vitrified whole body patients could be moved 
and stored in -80'C dry ice chests during emergencies.  The same goes 
for neuropatients suspended with our current technology.  While 
warming from -130'C to -80'C is not ideal, we are talking about 
emergencies only.
 
        Vitrified neuropatients must be maintained below -120'C.  We 
could do this in Queue freezers, or our own freezers designed around 
the 30 watt cryocoolers available from Polycold.  As recent net 
postings have shown, there also many ways to utilize LN2 to passively 
maintain -130'C.  The design and construction of several (numerous?) 
portable -130'C storage units is an engineering project that could be 
undertaken if vitrification technology appears imminent.
 
                                                --- Brian Wowk  

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