US 12,270,601 B2
Devices and methods for high-stability supercooling of aqueous media and biological matter
Matthew J. Powell-Palm, Berkeley, CA (US); and Boris Rubinsky, Berkeley, CA (US)
Assigned to The Regents of the University of California, Oakland, CA (US)
Filed by The Regents of the University of California, Oakland, CA (US)
Filed on Jun. 21, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/845,114.
Application 17/845,114 is a continuation of application No. PCT/US2021/012863, filed on Jan. 9, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/960,524, filed on Jan. 13, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0325937 A1, Oct. 13, 2022
Int. Cl. F25D 3/08 (2006.01)
CPC F25D 3/08 (2013.01) [F25D 2303/084 (2013.01); F25D 2331/8014 (2013.01); F25D 2700/00 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of inducing stable and transportable supercooling, the method comprising:
providing a device comprising a rigid container containing biological matter in an aqueous media;
ensuring the removal of essentially all, meaning more than 99% of, bulk gas phase from the contained aqueous media;
sealing the container with a rigid air-tight closure; and
cooling the aqueous media to a temperature below 0° C. under isochoric (constant-volume) thermodynamic conditions,
wherein the container further comprises an on-board or off-board pressure sensing implement, a control implement and an energy delivery implements,
wherein pressure within the system is a function of the relative phase fraction of ice that has grown,
wherein the pressure sensing implement measures or detects pressure, wherein a change in pressure is used to detect formation or elimination of ice within the aqueous media,
wherein the energy delivery implement uses an energy delivery mechanism selected from the group consisting of conductive heating, convective heating, radiative heating, inductive heating, Joule heating, electromagnetic heating, radio heating, and ultrasonic heating,
wherein the energy delivery implement delivers energy to melt, dissolve, or otherwise eliminate ice nuclei or crystals,
wherein the pressure sensing implement comprises a digital pressure transducer, analog pressure transducer, digital pressure gauge, analog pressure gauge, electrical resistance source, piezoelectric sensor, piezospectroscopic sensor, strain gauge, optical pressure sensor, conditioned pressure sensor, or capacitive pressure sensor;
wherein the control implement comprises a computer, microprocessor, microcontroller, PID controller, or software; and
wherein the control implement continuously monitors the pressure, and activates the energy delivery implement when the pressure surpasses a given threshold value to raise the temperature of the aqueous media to eliminate ice formation, and turns off the energy delivery implement when the pressure returns to beneath the threshold value.