▶ Can Custom BioGenic Systems products be shipped anywhere in the world?

▶ Does any rack fit any freezer?

▶ How long will a supply tank last?

▶ How often should i replace my boxes? What should I look for to indicate wear on my boxes?

▶ How do I properly label my racks and boxes?

▶ How long will the temperature hold inside my freezer after my liquid level reaches zero?

▶ Which boxes are better for storage plastic or cardboard boxes?

▶ What are the advantages and disadvantages of both aluminum and stainless steel racks?

▶ What do the various level readings mean?

▶ Why are my cardboard boxes damaged?

Can Custom BioGenic Systems products be shipped anywhere in the world?

We have contacted on of our international shipping agents and they provided the following information: These are totally prohibited: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria. Other countries have restrictions, depends on what is being shipped which will determine if it will be allowed to be shipped.

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Does any rack fit any freezer?

There are two types of mechanical freezers- Upright and chest freezers. Upright freezers have side loading doors and chest freezers have top loading doors. Also, there are liquid nitrogen freezers that have top loading lids. All of these freezers are designed for racks that store 5 1/4" x 5 1/4" x 2" (Standard boxes). For example the interior dimensions of a 21 cubic foot upright freezer is 50 1/2" high x 24 1/4" front to back x 28 1/2" wide and there are five 9 5/8" high shelves. 5 CBS URO 442 Racks will fit on each shelf for a total capacity of 25 URO 442 racks. The dimensions of the URO442 rack is 9 1/4" high x 22 1/8" front to back x 5 1/2" wide, and there are 16 boxes in each rack. If a standard box is used, there are 81 vials per box: total vials stored in the 2100 Controlled Rate Freezer is 81 vials x 16 boxes x 25 racks = 32,400 vials.

If a Scientist selected a 100 cell hinged top plastic storage boxes to be stored in the 2100 controlled rate freezer, the stored vials would be 24,000. This is because the rack that would fit the 22100 controlled rate freezer is a UHT34. 4 UHT34 racks would fit on each shelf -20 racks total. Also, the UHT34 hold 12-100 cell hinged top plastic boxes. Thus, the vials stored in the 2100 controlled rate freezer are 100 vials x 12 boxes x 20 racks = 24,000 vials.

Standard boxes ( 5 1/4" x 5 1/4" x 2") have been used since the 1960's - the start of - 80 degree mechanical freezers & liquid nitrogen freezers. Racks and boxes were created at about the same time for storage in these freezers. Glass vials were originally used and plastic vials came soon afterward. The freezers of the 1960's were designed to store as many vials as possible. Storage racks were created to store boxes and to fit into the freezer shelves. Freezer manufacturer's designed their equipment to provide the most efficient capacity of standard boxes.

Does any rack fit any freezer? Possibly, but it may not be efficient storage. Measure your rack dimensions and your freezer dimensions to get the best use of rack storage.

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How long will a supply tank last?

This Frequently Asked Question concerns a "Liquid Nitrogen Supply Tank" that furnishes liquid nitrogen to a Cryopreservation Freezer. There are several issues that influence the usage of liquid nitrogen as follows:

▶ The "static Evaporation Rate" of the Cryopreservation Freezer. The Static Evaporation Rate is usually provided by the manufacturer     of the freezer. The manufacturer tests the Freezer with liquid nitrogen and determines an average daily loss rate. The lid of the tank is     not opened during the test thus there is "Static Evaporation"

▶ The "Transfer Loss" that occurs when liquid nitrogen of the supply tank is transferred to the freezer. A 4 Foot Flexible Hose is     connected from the Supply Tank to the Freezer. There is also Plumbing on the external portions of the Supply Tank and the Freezer.     The Flexible Hose and the Plumbing is normally at room temperature when liquid nitrogen is not transferred. When the "Transfer"     occurs, the liquid nitrogen cools the Hose and Plumbing to liquid nitrogen temperature of -196 Degrees Celsius. The amount of liquid     nitrogen used in this cooling is the "transfer Loss".

▶ The "Static Evaporation Rate" of the supply Tank. The Static Evaporation Rate is tested by the manufacturer and is provided as a    "percentage of the total liquid nitrogen contents of the tank".

▶ The "Cryopreservation Storage of Products" in the Freezer. "Vials" and "Bags" are the most typical containers used for     Cryopresercvation Storage. Racks, Boxes, and Dividers are used to store vials. Frames and Canisters are used to store bags.     Racks and Frames are made from Stainless Steel. Canisters are made from aluminum. Boxes are made from cardboard ,     aluminum, stainless steel, and plastic. Dividers are made from cardboard, Storing and retrieving of the products requires lifting of the     racks and frames from the liquid nitrogen cooled chamber. There will be some warming of the racks, frames, boxes, canisters, etc     depending on the amount of time that the products are out of the chamber. The storage and retrieval procedure will cause liquid     nitrogen loss during this process.

 

CBS is testing all of the above procedures to provide more information on the se of liquid nitrogen. We tested a V1500-ABIsothermal Freezer with 7 Aluminum Racks,Cardboard boxes and Dividers and a 5 Minute Retrieval of a Rack, Box and Vials.

1.	V1500-AB Isothermal Freezer With 7 Aluminum Racks	6.0 Liters
2.	Transfer Loss	3.5 Liters
3.	Supply Tank - Daily Loss	3.0 Liters
4.	5 Minute Retrieval of Racks, Box, and Vials	1.0 Liters
5.	Total Daily Loss	13.5 Liters/Day

If 180 Liter Supply Tank is Filler to 180 Liters, the usage rate (180 divided by 13.5Liter/day) equals 13 days of usage. however, there are many issues that can change the daily usage and the number of days provided by the Supply Tank.

There could be many factors that shorten the time that a Supply Tank lasts. Here are some:

                    ▶ Supply Tank filled with too much pressure (50 psi) or too low a pressure (10 psi). The optimum pressure for Supply                         Tanks used for Biological Storage is 22 psi.

                    ▶ Frequently opening the freezer

                    ▶ Transferring warm products into the freezer

                    ▶ Using long hoses for transferring liquid nitrogen.

 

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How often should i replace my boxes? What should I look for to indicate wear on my boxes?

The user of the boxes should choose when to replace the boxes. We are not able to determine when the boxes are damaged without seeing the boxes. When the White Litho Paper begins to peel off of the Chip Board, this is a warning that the box is damaged. Other damage could be Scraped up sides from the locking rods. Over time the scraping will damage the side of the box, tearing the Paper and perhaps the Chip Board. This would definitely be a time to replace boxes.

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How do I properly label my racks and boxes?

The best way to label a rack is to use Brass Numbers or Letters fastened to the top of the rack. The Numbers and Letters are embossed to stand out. CBS can attach two numbers or letters to the top of standard LN2 freezer Racks or to the front of upright freezer racks. The numbers or Letters are Attached to the racks with rivets. The numbers and Letters must be attached to the racks prior to assembling the racks. Thus, customers that already have racks cannot add Numbers or Letters because they cannot be attached to an assembled rack.

There are many ways to identify boxes. A person could use a Sharpie Permanent Marker for hand written information on the boxes. A label company suggests that hand written label might have legibility problems:

                    ▶ Hand-written information difficult to read

                    ▶ Ink smears easily when handled

                    ▶ Time Consuming

                    ▶ Ink fades while stored long term

                    ▶ Chemical and solvents wash away ink

 

There are several label companies that offer printers for identification and bar code labels. These printers and labels offer many options for identifying boxes. Since the boxes are used in a freezing environment, users should check with the label company to determine if the labels withstand the Freezing Environment.

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How long will the temperature hold inside my freezer after my liquid level reaches zero?

CBS has tested a V-1500 AB Isothermal Freezer to determine how long it will take after the level reaches 0.0" to reach a temperature of -150 degrees Celsius. To do this CBS monitors lid temperature probe location at the top storage box or top bag canister. This test used a 4 foot transfer hose, liquid cylinder supply tank, and a 22 psi relief valve.Our results were as follows:

Which boxes are better for storage plastic or cardboard boxes?

The plastic Boxes have some advantages that cardboard boxes do not have as follows:

                    ▶ The Plastic Boxes are very sturdy and will seldom need to be replaced.

                    ▶ Plastic Boxes have numbered cells so the product that is stored is easy to locate

                    ▶ Plastic Boxes have built in dividers

                    ▶ Cardboard Boxes can be damaged by the freezing environment. Snow, created by the cold, can attach to the box and                         melt when the box is removed form the tank. If melting snow does occur, the water will weaken the Cardboard.

                    ▶ An Aluminum rack with 13 shelves loaded with Cardboard Boxes weighs 5.4 pounds. An Aluminum rack with 13 shelves                         loaded with Plastic Boxes weighs 7.8 pounds.

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What are the advantages and disadvantages of both aluminum and stainless steel racks?

One feature of aluminum racks is the products light-weight material. Athough Stainless steel is a heavier, stronger metal than aluminum.For example an aluminum 13-2 rack weighs 2.8 LBS empty and a stainless steel 13-2 rack weighs 4.3 LBS empty. As well as being lighter the aluminum is a better thermal conductor than stainless steel. Thus, when aluminum racks are used in vapor storage freezers, the aluminum conducts cold vapor from the bottom of the tank to the lids bottom surface. this keeps all of the products at a colder temperature throughout the tank.

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What do the various level readings mean?

The CBS Isothermal Vapor Series Freezers require a level reading to determine how much liquid nitrogen is in the freezer. The Isothermal Vapor Freezer has a liquid nitrogen chamber between the outer vacuum-insulated wall and the inside wall of the product storage chamber. A dipstick cannot be used to measure the liquid nitrogen level in the chamber. Thus, we must rely on our level readout to measure liquid nitrogen in the tank. Levels from 10 to 17 inches would be a normal usage of liquid nitrogen per day. A level of 17 to 24 inches would indicate a full tank. If the level is below 10 inches, this would indicate that the source container used to fill the Isothermal Freezer that is empty.

The 2300 Front Panel Display records the current liquid level reading. The display also shows the low set point and the high set point. The 2300 Auto-Fill System will start filling the Isothermal Freezer when the LN2 level reaches the low set point. When the LN2 reaches the high set point, the auto-fill will stop filling the Isothermal Freezer.

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Why are my cardboard boxes damaged?

Boxes that are made from cardboard with litho paper coating are the most likely boxes that will be damaged.  Boxes are stored in freezers at temperatures from -20°C, -80°C and -196°C.  Metal racks made from aluminum and stainless steel are also used to store the boxes.  When racks are removed from storage freezers, moisture in the atmosphere will attach to the rack as ice crystals.  The ice crystals can fall from the rack and land on the boxes when the racks and boxes are moved in and out of the freezer.  Room temperature of 70°F (21°C) can quickly warm the ice crystal and thaw it into water.  Water will soak into the cardboard material, soften it and weaken the cardboard.

CBSfreezerracks.com offers several varieties of boxes that can reduce or even eliminate the problem of water damage to your freezer boxes.  Our new Moisture Resistant Polyguard cardboard box will reduce damage by resisting water absorption into the cardboard.  Our complete line of aluminum, stainless steel and plastic boxes will virtually eliminate water damage. 

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