Heating and cooling system for biological materials

Abstract

A method of cooling a biological material includes providing a vessel. The vessel includes a generally vertical inner wall disposed at an inner radius from a vertically disposed center axis. The generally vertical inner wall defines in part an interior volume. A medium including a biological material is provided. A plurality of heat transfer surfaces is positioned within the interior volume. Each of the plurality of heat transfer surfaces is oriented generally vertically through the interior volume. Each of the heat transfer surfaces is arranged such that it does not extend into the portion of the interior volume defined by a distance from the center axis greater than 90% of the inner radius. The medium is introduced into the vessel. A heat transfer fluid is circulated through the plurality of heat transfer surfaces. The heat transfer surfaces conduct heat out of the medium.

1 . A system for heating and cooling biological materials comprising: 
 a vessel comprising a generally vertical inner wall defining in part an interior volume; and    a first and second plurality of conduit portions disposed in a generally vertical orientation within the interior volume, each conduit portion containing a heat transfer fluid and comprising a heat transfer surface exposed to the interior volume;    wherein each conduit portion of the first plurality of conduit portions is disposed at about a first distance from the inner wall and each conduit portion of the second plurality of conduit portions is disposed at about a second distance from the inner wall, wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance.    
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the generally vertical inner wall is disposed at an inner radius from a vertically disposed center axis and wherein the first distance is between about 20% and about 50% of the inner radius and the second distance is between about 50% and about 80% of the inner radius.  
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the conduit portions of the first plurality of conduit portions are generally distributed symmetrically around a circumference defmed by the first distance and the conduit portions of the second plurality of conduit portions are generally distributed symmetrically around a circumference defined by the second distance.  
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising a plurality of fins coupled to at least some of the conduit portions and extending into the interior volume.  
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising a plurality of fins coupled to the conduit portions of the first plurality of conduit portions and generally oriented tangentially from a radius of the vessel.  
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising a plurality of fins coupled to the conduit portions of the second plurality of conduit portions and generally oriented along a radius of the vessel.  
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the generally vertical inner wall is disposed at an inner radius from a vertically disposed center axis and wherein the conduit portions are arranged such that they do not extend into the portion of the interior volume defined by a distance from the center axis greater than 90% of the inner radius.  
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the generally vertical inner wall is disposed at an inner radius from a vertically disposed center axis and wherein the conduit portions are arranged such that they do not extend into the portion of the interior volume defined by a distance from the center axis greater than 60% of the inner radius.  
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the interior volume of the vessel is between about 10 liters and about 500 liters.  
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 9  wherein the conduit portions are arranged such that they do not extend within 2 inches of the inner wall of the vessel.  
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the conduit portions are interconnected and convey the heat transfer fluid within.  
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the conduit portions of the first plurality of conduit portions are interconnected and the conduit portions of the second plurality of conduit portions are interconnected.  
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the first plurality of conduit portions comprises between four and ten vertically extending conduit portions and the second plurality of conduit portions comprises between two and six vertically extending conduit portions.  
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the first plurality of conduit portions comprises between six and eight vertically extending conduit portions and the second plurality of conduit portions comprises between four and six vertically extending conduit portions.  
   
   
       15 . A method of heating or cooling a biological material comprising: 
 providing a vessel comprising a generally vertical inner wall disposed at an inner radius from a vertically disposed center axis, the inner wall defining in part an interior volume;    providing a medium comprising a biological material;    positioning a plurality of heat transfer surfaces within the interior volume, the heat transfer surfaces oriented generally vertically through the interior volume and arranged such that they do not extend into the portion of the interior volume defined by a distance from the center axis greater than 90% of the inner radius;    introducing the medium into the vessel; and    circulating a heat transfer fluid through the plurality of heat transfer surfaces.    
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the heat transfer surfaces conduct heat out of the medium to cool the medium.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the medium is frozen and the heat transfer surfaces conduct heat into the medium to thaw the medium.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the plurality of heat transfer surfaces are formed on a plurality of conduit portions circulating the heat transfer fluid.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising a plurality of fins coupled to at least some of the conduit portions and extending into the interior volume.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the interior volume of the vessel is between about 10 liters and about 500 liters.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 20  wherein the plurality of fins are arranged such that they do not extend within 2 inches of the inner wall of the vessel.  
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 15  wherein thermal bridges are not formed between the heat transfer surfaces and the inner wall of the vessel during the cooling of the biological material.  
   
   
       23 . A method of cooling a biological material comprising: 
 providing a vessel comprising a generally vertical inner wall disposed at an inner radius from a vertically disposed center axis, the inner wall defining in part an interior volume;    providing a medium comprising a biological material;    positioning a first and second plurality of conduit portions in a generally vertical orientation within the interior volume, each conduit portion containing a heat transfer fluid and comprising a heat transfer surface exposed to the interior volume;    wherein each conduit portion of the first plurality of conduit portions is disposed at about a first distance from the center axis and each conduit portion of the second plurality of conduit portions is disposed at about a second distance from the center axis, wherein the first distance is greater than the second distance;    introducing the medium into the vessel; and    circulating a heat transfer fluid through the first and second plurality of conduit portions, wherein the heat transfer surfaces conduct heat out of the medium.    
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23  wherein thermal bridges are not formed between the heat transfer surfaces and the inner wall of the vessel during the cooling of the biological material.  
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the first distance is between about 20% and about 50% of the inner radius and the second distance is between about 50% and about 80% of the inner radius.  
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the conduit portions of the first plurality of conduit portions are generally distributed symmetrically around a circumference defined by the first distance and the conduit portions of the second plurality of conduit portions are generally distributed symmetrically around a circumference defined by the second distance.  
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 23  further comprising a plurality of fins coupled to at least some of the conduit portions and extending into the interior volume.  
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 27  wherein the interior volume of the vessel is between about 10 liters and about 500 liters.  
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 28  wherein the conduit portions and the fins are arranged such that they do not extend within 2 inches of the inner wall of the vessel.  
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 23  further comprising a plurality of fins coupled to the first plurality of conduit portions and generally oriented tangentially from a radius of the vessel.  
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 23  further comprising a plurality of fins coupled to the second plurality of conduit portions and generally oriented along a radius of the vessel.  
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the plurality of conduit portions are arranged such that it does not extend into the portion of the interior volume defined by a distance from the center axis greater than 90% of the inner radius.  
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the first plurality of conduit portions are interconnected and the second plurality of conduit portions are interconnected.  
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the first plurality of conduit portions comprises between four and ten vertically extending conduit portions and the second plurality of conduit portions comprises between two and six vertically extending conduit portions.  
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the first plurality of conduit portions comprises between six and eight vertically extending conduit portions and the second plurality of conduit portions comprises between four and six vertically extending conduit portions.  
   
   
       36 . A method of cooling a biological material comprising: 
 providing a vessel comprising a generally vertical inner wall disposed at an inner radius from a vertically disposed center axis, the inner wall defining in part an interior volume;    providing a medium comprising a biological material;    positioning a first and second plurality of conduit portions in a generally vertical orientation within the interior volume, each conduit portion containing a heat transfer fluid and comprising a heat transfer surface exposed to the interior volume, wherein a plurality of fins are coupled to at least some of the conduit portions;    wherein each conduit portion of the first plurality of conduit portions is disposed at about a first distance from the center axis and each conduit portion of the second plurality of conduit portions is disposed at about a second distance from the center axis, wherein the first distance is between about 20% and about 50% of the inner radius and the second distance is between about 50% and about 80% of the inner radius, and wherein the conduit portions of the first plurality of conduit portions are generally distributed symmetrically around a circumference defined by the first distance and the conduit portions of the second plurality of conduit portions are generally distributed symmetrically around a circumference defined by the second distance;    introducing the medium into the vessel; and    circulating a heat transfer fluid through the first and second plurality of conduit portions, wherein the heat transfer surfaces conduct heat out of the medium and wherein thermal bridges are not formed between the heat transfer surfaces and the inner wall of the vessel during the cooling of the biological material.