Scientists at Brunel University London have engineered a method of building freezers capable of reaching temperatures as low as -180°C by using advanced cryogenically cooled heat pipe technology.

According to Dr. Hussam Jouhara, of Brunel’s Institute of Energy Futures, the cold in the design comes from liquid nitrogen. "But unlike conventional cold storage using liquefied gas, we don’t need to physically transfer the nitrogen. The cryogenic heat pipe is literally just moving the cold."

Dr. Hussam Jouhara, of Brunel University’s Institute of Energy Futures. Image credit: Brunel University London.In the U.S. eight deaths per year are attributed to nitrogen asphyxiation, but with Brunel's technology, gas tanks can be situated safely outside in the open air.

Additionally, the system uses a highly efficient energy-recovery process potentially yielding up to a 50% reduction in liquid nitrogen use compared to conventional equipment.

“Liquid nitrogen is expensive in both cash terms and energy consumption to produce,” notes Jouhara. “And quite rightly there are strict health and safety rules because of the attendant dangers of asphyxiation. The Brunel system has no such special requirements.”

Once installed, heat pipes are regarded by engineers as a “fit-and-forget” technology, as they have no moving parts and require no routine maintenance.

Jouhara is partnering with Air Products to commercialize the new freezer technology. Initial uses are likely to be for medical storage, and the team will be working with the UK National Health Service to develop prototype freezers to rapidly cool and store plasma made from donated blood.

“We also see strong demand from facilities [that] store cord blood, eggs or sperm and other biological materials at very low temperatures,” says Jouhara.