Laboratory Freezers

A laboratory freezer finds application in various clinical, life science and industrial laboratories. They are typically meant for storage of critical materials under constant freezing temperature and security. There are today a variety of freezers avaialble with advanced control systems and alarms. A laboratory freezer is typically made using stainless steel or galvanized steel and aluminum.

A Typical laboratory freezer is used to store samples at a temperature in between - 250° to - 150° C. However biological samples like vaccines are stored in laboratory freezers at a much lower ( A laboratory freezer) temperature. Cryogenic freezing is also not unusual in laboratories, but it generally requires specialty freezers, that can provide as well as endure extremely low temperatures.

A laboratory freezer is not used exclusivley in the laboratory but also finds use in many other medical and scientific locations. The freezer is used to store laboratory materials including samples, reagents, pharmaceutical products etc. As different materials need different temperature levels, a freezer is provided with thermostat controls. This helps the freezer to maintain necessary temperatures for the materials kept inside.

Selcting a Laboratory Freezer
Several aspects are to be given a careful thought while selecting a freezer. The following points may prove useful.

• Capacity : The capacity of the freezer is of vital importance. Capacity is usually measured in litres or cubic feet or sometimes both.
• Temperature range : Next in importance is the temperature range. By temperature range it is meant the maximum and minimum temperature which the freezer can maintain.
• Dimensions : Dimensions includes both external dimensions as well as internal dimensions of a lab freezer. It is crucial to have information about the space required by the freezer along with the space inside the freezer.
• Environmental guidelines : These days government has laid down strict guidelines concerning the ways to restrict the effect of refrigerants on enviiroment. These environmental guidelines are in terms of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, ozone depletion, global warming etc. Procuring CFC-Free refrigerants are a way to limit the damage to the environment.
• Alert systems : Alert sytems in laboratory freezers does the work of sending alerts when there is temperature fluctuation inside within a certain range. This is very important to the operator because he must know if the materials kept in the freezer falls below a specific temperature or is there any rise. As often the freezer is placed in a noisy area, so there must be a provision of both visual as well as audible alerts.
• Effect ambient temperature : A freezer's performance to a large extent is influenced by the ambient temperature of the laboratory. For example a -86&C freezer typically has its task cut out to in order to maintain its operating temperature in an atmosphere of high ambient temperature. It is the insulation used in the freezer?s wall which has a major role to play in sustaining the operating temperature.

Types of Laboratory Freezers
Upright Freezers
Upright freezers are essentially single unit stand-up freezers. Their size ranges from 2 - 20 cubic ft. In comparison to a chest freezer they take up lesser floor space. That is why in a laboratory setting Upright freezers are very popular. Upright freezers come with one or two doors. These doors open from the front. There is both advantage and limitation in using Upright freezers. On the plus side the contents are easier to pack and organize. On the down side this type of freezer is expensive to operate as cold air gets lost very easily and warm air also enters without any trouble.

Chest Freezers
In terms of overall performance and reliability, chest freezers show remarkable potential. Chest freezers comes in as square or rectangular shaped models with sizes ranging from 4 to 20 cubic ft or even more. These type of freezers opening from the top are suitable for bulk storages. One of the most important advantage with the chest freezer is that while opening the lid of a chest freezer, majority of the cold air is retained inside the cabinet as cold air falls downward rather than upward. This makes it easier on the freezer and is much cheaper to operate as less cold air is lost in the process. On the down side the contents of laboratory Chest Freezers are difficult to organize and is difficult to clean. Some of the latest features offered in lab Chest Freezers include Vacuum Insulation technology. A single compressor cooling system that does not need any filters Remote alarm connections LED Digital display High and Low Temperature Alarms 100% CFC free.