US 12,268,206 B2
Differential air flow system for promoting bottom-up freezing of blood plasma in compressed bags
Andreia Filipa Silvestre Duarte, Sacavém (PT); Pedro Gil Sena Rego, Lisbon (PT); and Carlos Duarte Da Silva Completo, Antouguia da Baleia (PT)
Assigned to SMARTFREEZ LDA, Porto Salvo (PT)
Appl. No. 17/997,573
Filed by SMARTFREEZ LDA, Porto Salvo (PT)
PCT Filed Apr. 28, 2021, PCT No. PCT/IB2021/053523
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 31, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/220186, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 4, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 116327 (PT), filed on Apr. 30, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0217917 A1, Jul. 13, 2023
Int. Cl. A01N 1/02 (2006.01)
CPC A01N 1/0252 (2013.01) [A61M 2205/3606 (2013.01); A61M 2206/10 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for freezing an individual bag or a plurality of bags containing biological fluid, favoring bottom-up ice-growth, comprising the following steps:
providing a controlled temperature chamber; placing an air flow system into the controlled temperature chamber; placing a bag or a case containing the bag on a support; compressing the bag or case against the support; driving air inside the controlled temperature chamber to obtain a differential air flow for freezing the bag, wherein the differential air flow is obtained by blowing air on the bottom of the bag or case such that a velocity of the air on the bottom of the bag or case is higher than a velocity of the air on the top of the bag or case, allowing bottom-up ice-growth; wherein a heat transfer coefficient on the top of the bag is less than 5 W/(m2° C.) and a heat transfer coefficient on the bottom of the bag is higher than 20 W/(m2° C.), and wherein the air flow has a velocity in a range from 1 m/s to 10 m/s.