hero-654791312-sized

Ensights

Science that is transforming lives and enabling the future

Cold-Wall or Convection? Critical Considerations for Application Selection

All Posts

Cold-Wall or Convection? Critical Considerations for Application Selection

By: Mike Lamach, Reach-In Sales Leader, FARRAR™ | Trane Technologies

The explosion of needs for -80°C through -60°C assets over the past decade has been nothing short of remarkable. Clinical research investments keep expanding while commercial-scale needs continue to transform the landscape. Due largely to the relative newness of commercialized products requiring cold storage, technologies have advanced incrementally while fundamentally mimicking the technologies of the past. Cold wall remains the gold standard of laboratory applications. Cost, size, and ease of procurement continue to influence cold-wall technology selections and dominate infrastructure purchases.

Conversely, the commercialization of cold solutions and the need for bulk volumes have placed substantial stress on cold-wall technologies to perform in applications for which they were not designed or intended. The industry increasingly views the conventional ultra-low temperature (ULT) cold wall as a ‘consumable’ despite the sustainability and operational issues caused by asset failures ahead of their anticipated life.

So, does alternative technology exist? The short answer is “yes.”

Traditional cold-wall technology: Conventional cold-wall technology, as deployed in all ULT freezers, is designed to promote cooling via expansion of a refrigerant through a series of chamber wall capillaries. This technology focuses on making the ULT shell as cold as possible, given that the ULT’s center would eventually reach the target temperature with minimal door openings and warm loads.

Convection technology: Convection technology forces air, tempered to the target temperature, through a chamber. This technology aims to force sufficient air volume through the chamber at uniformity to ensure consistent and repeatable cooling throughout the chamber enclosure. This technology is especially relevant for bulk loading as the more uniform freeze profiling reduces compressor stress and extends asset lifecycle.

When evaluating cold needs for an upcoming project, installation, development of the user requirements specification, consider deploying forced-air convection cooling if the following considerations apply:

  • Larger loads
  • Wide range of potential load scenarios
  • Rigorous performance demands
  • High-value materials
  • Frequent door openings
  • Unique material handling solutions including full-batch transfer carts

On the heels of COVID and Monkeypox, the innate performance and reliability of convection-cooling technology, purpose-built for commercial applications and precision temperature needs, is robust with benefits.

 

Contact us to learn more about how Entegris and FARRAR can help your precision temperature needs.

image-png-Mar-15-2023-06-14-31-4296-PM

Mike Lamach, Reach-In Sales Leader, FARRAR™ | Trane Technologies

Lamach Headshot

Mike Lamach leads the North American strategic account sales team for FARRAR’s Reach-In Business within Life Science Solutions, focused on the proper selection and utilization of cold processing and storage equipment in the biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry. 

Mike started in the pharmaceutical industry in a variety of engineering roles in Patheon’s (now Thermo Fisher) contract manufacturing division focused on bulk manufacturing and process scale-up. He eventually discovered a passion for sustainability and engineering/automation’s ability to impact quality by design transitioning to sales engineering and pre-construction support. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Michigan State University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

 

Mike Lamach, Reach-In Sales Leader, FARRAR™ | Trane Technologies
Mike Lamach, Reach-In Sales Leader, FARRAR™ | Trane Technologies
Mike Lamach leads the North American strategic ccount sales team for FARRAR’s Reach-In Business within Life Science Solutions, focused on the proper selection and utilization of cold processing and storage equipment in the biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry. Mike started in the pharmaceutical industry in a variety of engineering roles in Patheon’s (now Thermo Fisher) contract manufacturing division focused on bulk manufacturing and process scale-up. He eventually discovered a passion for sustainability and engineering/automation’s ability to impact quality by design transitioning to sales engineering and pre-construction support. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Michigan State University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Related Posts

Critical Factors in Achieving a Strong Supply Chain for Your Cell and Gene Therapy

Are you looking for a supply partner to help you scale cell and gene therapy (CGT) manufacturing? Do you need a partner that can help you keep up with pre-existing capacity increases? These challenges may lead to some hard choices.

Automotive Reliability and Semiconductor Manufacturing: How Far Did We Come?

Last year, Semiconductor Digest assembled six panelists from the world's leading semiconductor and automotive manufacturers and suppliers - including Volkswagen, Texas Instruments, Robert Bosch, Hyperion, and KLA, and Entegris - and asked them about the state of automotive electronics. They discussed issues such as the shift to automotive quad computing, the emphasis on infotainment, and the rise of alternative vehicle technologies such as electrification and self-driving.

Entegris and Qosina: Expediting Single-use Bioprocess Solutions Together

Have you ever needed to perform a test only to be held up by wait times for a single-use component? Perhaps you just need a small order of tubing or connectors, without everything that comes with a bulk order? We want to help customers get the right quantity of components when they need them. That’s why Entegris is proud to announce a new relationship with Qosina, a leading global supplier of OEM single-use components to the medical and pharmaceutical industries.