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Publication Number
US-11612679-B2
Publication Date
2023-03-28
Expiration Date
Abstract
A medical contact shock freezer (10) adapted for fast freezing a plurality of individual bags (41-43, 51-53) containing a medical liquid, the individual bags being arranged side by side, adjacent to each other, in which the contact shock freezer comprises a pair of freezing plates comprising an upper freezing plate (21) and a lower freezing plate (22), at least one of the upper and lower freezing plates of the pair being moveable to define i) a loading position in which sufficient separation is provided between the freezing plates to load or unload the individual bags between the freezing plates and ii) a freezing position in which each individual bag is in contact with and is clamped between a contact surface of the upper freezing plate and a contact surface of the lower freezing plate; and in which, in its freezing position, the contact surface of the upper freezing plate is arranged at an angle of at least 2° to the horizontal.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to a medical contact shock freezer adapted for freezing a plurality of individual bags containing a medical liquid arranged side by side and adjacent to each other. The contact shock freezer comprises a pair of freezing plates including an upper freezing plate and a lower freezing plate, configured to operate at a temperature equal to or less than −40°C.
At least one of the upper and lower freezing plates is moveable to define a loading position and a freezing position. In the loading position, sufficient separation is provided to load or unload the individual bags, and in the freezing position each individual bag is in contact with and is clamped between a contact surface of the upper freezing plate and a contact surface of the lower freezing plate.
The contact surfaces flatten surfaces of the bags containing the medical liquid to increase contact area and improve heat transfer. The contact surface of the upper freezing plate is arranged at an angle equal to or more than 2° and equal to or less than 30° to the horizontal during the freezing position, and the medical liquid is frozen to a temperature equal to or less than −20°C through heat exchange between the medical liquid and the upper and lower freezing plates.
A further aspect specifies a blood plasma contact shock freezer in which the contact surfaces of the upper freezing plate and the lower freezing plate are parallel and are each arranged at an angle of between 3° and 10° to the horizontal. Another aspect provides a shock freezing method by arranging the bags side by side between the upper and lower freezing plates in a bag loading position, subsequently closing the freezing plates to clamp and hold the angled bag configuration, freezing to the target temperature, and then opening and removing the frozen bags.
Claims Coverage
The document provides three independent claims covering both apparatus and a method. Across these independent claims, four main inventive features are defined: freezing multiple side-by-side medical-liquid bags with a pair of freezing plates at ≤ −40°C, clamping and flattening the bag surfaces to increase contact area and improve heat transfer, angling the contact surfaces to hold an angled bag configuration relative to the horizontal, and freezing via heat exchange to ≤ −20°C with loading/freezing position switching.
Medical liquid contact shock freezing with upper and lower freezing plates operating at ≤ −40°C
A medical contact shock freezer for freezing a plurality of individual bags arranged side by side, adjacent to each other, with a pair of freezing plates including an upper freezing plate and a lower freezing plate, configured to operate at a temperature equal to or less than −40°C.
Loading position to freezing position separation and clamping between contact surfaces
At least one of the upper and lower freezing plates is moveable to define a loading position providing sufficient separation to load or unload the individual bags, and a freezing position in which each individual bag is in contact with and is clamped between a contact surface of the upper freezing plate and a contact surface of the lower freezing plate.
Flattening bag surfaces to increase contact area and improve heat transfer
In the freezing position, the clamping flattens surfaces of the bags containing the medical liquid that are in contact with the freezing plates to increase contact area and improve heat transfer.
Angled contact surface relative to horizontal
In the freezing position, the contact surface of the upper freezing plate is arranged at an angle equal to or more than 2° and equal to or less than 30° to the horizontal.
Blood plasma freezer with parallel angled contact surfaces (3° to 10°)
A blood plasma contact shock freezer with a pair of freezing plates including an upper freezing plate and a lower freezing plate, where in the freezing position the contact surfaces of the upper and lower freezing plates are parallel and are each arranged at an angle of between 3° and 10° to the horizontal.
Shock freezing method with angled bag configuration and freezing to ≤ −20°C
A method of shock freezing a plurality of individual bags containing a medical liquid by arranging the bags side by side between an upper freezing plate and a lower freezing plate in a bag loading position, subsequently closing to a freezing position to clamp the bags in contact with angled contact surfaces, freezing the medical liquid in each bag to a temperature equal to or less than −20°C through heat exchange, and subsequently moving to the loading position and removing the frozen bags.
The independent claims define a contact shock freezer and a corresponding shock freezing method that rely on movable upper and lower freezing plates to switch between loading and freezing positions, clamp and flatten side-by-side bag surfaces to increase contact area and improve heat transfer, and hold bags in an angled configuration based on specified angular ranges relative to the horizontal, including a blood-plasma variant with parallel angled contact surfaces.
Stated Advantages
Increase a contact area.
Improve heat transfer.
Allow freezing of the medical liquid to a temperature equal to or less than −20°C through heat exchange between the medical liquid and the upper and lower freezing plates.
Documented Applications
Freezing blood plasma contained in bags arranged side by side using a blood plasma contact shock freezer.
Shock freezing biological preparation and pharmaceutical preparation in individual bags using the claimed contact shock-freezing method.
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