Device for Freezing,Transporting and Thawing Fluids

Abstract

The invention relates to a device ( 1 ) for freezing, transporting and thawing fluids, in particular sterile liquids, solutions and suspensions for the chemical, biotechnology, pharmaceutical and food industries. Said device comprises a container ( 10 ) with a lid ( 20 ), a wall ( 40 ) and a base ( 30 ) and at least one heat exchanger element ( 50 ) that is operatively connected to the fluids held in the container, such that said fluids can be cooled or heated. An immersion pipe ( 60 ) is operatively connected to at least one heat exchanger element ( 50 ) via at least one sub-region of its longitudinal extension, said region preferably extending approximately from a lowest point in the container to a maximum fill level. Preferably, the immersion pipe is in direct contact with at least one heat exchanger element and can be passively heated. During the thawing process, the thus liquefied product is withdrawn via the heatable immersion pipe(s), which preferably penetrate(s) the interior of the container from top to bottom and open(s) over the lowest point in the container. In comparison to known devices, in which the feed pipe is freely located in the container interior and thus freely located in the frozen product, the advantage of the heatable immersion pipe is that the frozen product thaws extremely quickly inside the immersion pipe and the withdrawal of the thawed liquid product is only blocked in the initial phase of the thawing process. During withdrawal, the thawed product is, in addition, gently heated during its passage through the heated immersion pipe, such that it can be fed, preferably from above, onto portions of the product that are still frozen at a temperature that is significantly higher than the freezing point, thus accelerating the thawing process.

1 . Device for freezing, transporting and thawing fluids, in particular sterile fluids, solutions and suspensions for the chemical, biotechnological, pharmaceutical and food industry, with a container ( 10 ,  10 ′) comprising a lid ( 20 ,  20 ′,  20 ″), a wall ( 40 ,  40 ′) and a base ( 30 ,  30 ′), and at least one heat exchanger element ( 50 ,  50 ′) actively communicating with the fluids with which the container is filled so that they can be cooled or heated, characterised in that an immersion pipe ( 60 ,  80 ) is actively connected to at least one heat exchanger element ( 50 ,  50 ′,  30 ,  30 ′,  40 ,  40 ′) via at least a part-region of its longitudinal extension and that a return line ( 70 ) is provided on the container ( 10 ,  10 ′) in a region above the maximum filling level (F MAX ), preferably in the lid ( 20 ,  20 ′), so that a fluid liquefied during a thawing operation and fed off via the immersion pipe ( 60 ,  80 ) from the deepest point of the container ( 10 ,  10 ′) and pre-heated can be pumped via the return line ( 70 ) onto still frozen fluid from above. 
   
   
       2 . Device as claimed in  claim 1 , characterised in that the immersion pipe ( 60 ,  60 ′,  80 ) establishes a connection communicating between a first bottom orifice ( 63 ′,  81 ) in the region of a deepest point in the interior of the container ( 10 ,  10 ′) and a top-end second orifice ( 66 ,  82 ) disposed at the container ( 10 ,  10 ′) or at the lid ( 20 ,  20 ′,  20 ″). 
   
   
       3 . Device as claimed in  claim 1 , characterised in that the immersion pipe ( 60 ,  60 ′,  80 ) is in an active thermal connection with the heat exchanger element ( 50 ,  50 ′,  30 ,  30 ′,  40 ,  40 ′) by means of a part-piece ( 63 ,  63 ′) from more or less the deepest point of the container up to a maximum filling level (F MAX ). 
   
   
       4 . Device as claimed in  claim 1 , characterised in that the heat exchanger element comprises a cooling coil ( 50 ,  50 ′) and the immersion pipe ( 60 ,  60 ′) is run coaxially in a part-piece ( 51 ,  51 ′) of the cooling coil ( 50 ,  50 ′) along a part-region of its longitudinal extension and is actively in thermal, preferably direct, contact with it. 
   
   
       5 . Device as claimed in  claim 4 , characterised in that a vertical part-piece ( 63 ) of the immersion pipe ( 60 ) is run coaxially in a central portion ( 51 ) of the cooling coil ( 50 ) and along a longitudinal axis (L) in a region which extends more or less from the maximum filling level (F MAX ) to the deepest point of the container ( 10 ). 
   
   
       6 . Device as claimed in  claim 5 , characterised in that the axial part-piece ( 63 ) of the immersion pipe ( 60 ) forms an internal wall of the hollow cylindrical, central portion ( 51 ) of the cooling coil ( 50 ) so that the immersion pipe ( 60 ) and cooling coil ( 50 ) are integrally connected to one another as a “pipe in pipe” arrangement in this region. 
   
   
       7 . Device as claimed in  claim 1 , characterised in that the heat exchanger element comprises a double-skin base ( 30 ,  30 ′) and a double-skin wall ( 40 ,  40 ′), and the immersion pipe ( 60 ,  60 ′) is run inside or outside the base ( 30 ,  30 ′) and wall ( 40 ,  40 ′) across a part-region of its longitudinal extension and is in active thermal contact with them, preferably in direct contact. 
   
   
       8 . Device as claimed in  claim 1 , characterised in that the return line ( 70 ) extends through the lid ( 20 ,  20 ′) and opens into at least one, preferably two discharge orifices ( 76 ,  77 ) above the maximum filling level (F MAX ) which are disposed so that the pumped fluid is directed onto top part-pieces of heat exchanger elements ( 50 ,  50 ′,  40 ,  40 ′), preferably of the cooling coil ( 50 ,  50 ′), and reduce the formation of foam. 
   
   
       9 . (canceled) 
   
   
       10 . Method of thawing frozen fluids, in particular sterile fluids, solutions and suspensions for the chemical, biotechnological, pharmaceutical and food industries in a device ( 1 ,  1 ′,  1 ″) as claimed in  claim 1 , characterised in that a warm medium is fed through at least one heat exchanger element ( 50 ,  50 ′,  30 ,  30 ′,  40 ,  40 ′) and frozen fluid in an immersion pipe ( 60 ,  80 ) actively connected to the at least one heat exchanger element ( 50 ,  50 ′,  30 ,  30 ′,  40 ,  40 ′) is thawed, after which thawed fluid can be drawn off from the deepest point in the interior of a container ( 10 ,  10 ′) through the immersion pipe and pre-heated before it is pumped via a return line ( 70 ) onto the fluid still contained in the container from above.