A rapid-chilling system, includes a cooling tank comprising a cooling component, the cooling component to chill a liquid stored in the cooling tank. The system further includes an agitation tank comprising an agitation component, the agitation tank to receive one or more containers, and the agitation component configured to agitate the contents of the one or more containers. The system further includes a storage tank, coupled between the cooling tank and the agitation tank, the storage tank to store the liquid chilled via the convention cooling component.

Shipping system for storing and/or transporting temperature-sensitive materials. In one embodiment, the system includes an outer box having four side walls, bottom closure flaps, and top closure flaps. A vacuum insulated panel (VIP) is detachably coupled to one of the top closure flaps and is removably covered by a cover. An insulation unit is removably positioned within the outer box, the insulation unit including a plurality of VIPs arranged to define a cavity bounded by a bottom wall and four side walls. A disposable liner is removably mounted on the insulation unit. The liner may be a thermoformed sheet and may cover the interior and top surfaces of the insulation unit. A plurality of temperature-control members and a product box may be removably positioned in the liner. Preferably, the liner is shaped so that the temperature-control members snugly fit around all sides of the product box.

A container assembly for controlling the thermal condition of cargo includes an insulated container having a cover and a pair of belt assemblies having a plurality of pouches. The container may comprise handles and/or a detachable and/or adjustable shoulder strap. The container assembly further includes a plurality of phase-changing material packs configured to provide for the control of the temperature of cargo contained within the container. The phase-changing material packs are positioned within the belt assemblies and are thermally conditioned prior to use. The belt assemblies may be made of a durable material and may be configured to provide for the expedient exchange of thermal energy between the phase-changing material packs and an exterior of the belt assemblies. The belt assemblies may comprise features that provide for the efficient orienting of the belt assemblies within the container and/or the appropriate selection of phase-changing material packs for a respective belt assembly.

Manual and automated methods of pre-charging an empty or partially empty insulated container with CO2 snow are provided. A first location such as a charging location charges CO2 liquid into a container to create a pre-charged container with CO2 snow. The charging location prepares the pre-charged container for delivery to a second location, either by itself, or through a third party. The second location may be a clinical site, which upon receipt of the pre-charged container, loads a perishable item such as a biological sample into the pre-charged container. A user receives the pre-charged container with perishable item and removes the perishable item from the pre-charger container for testing (e.g., biological testing). Depending on the level of depletion of the CO2 snow in the pre-charged container, the user returns the depleted container to the first location or the intermediate location.

Embodiments of the subject invention relate to a method and apparatus for thermally protecting a product, such as when storing and/or shipping a product, so as to control the temperatures the products are exposed to. Embodiments can increased the amount of time the product and/or portions of the product experience a desired temperature range and/or reduce the amount of time the product and/or portions of the product experience temperatures outside of the desired temperature range and/or experience an undesirable temperature range. Embodiments can incorporate thermally conductive materials, such as aluminum sheets, positioned around and/or near the product positioned inside a packaging container, such that the conductive materials conduct heat from one or more locations in the interior of the package to one or more other locations in the interior of the package. These thermally conductive materials can be referred to as conductive equalizers. The conductive equalizers can conductively transfer heat from the hotter portions of the interior of the container to cooler portions of the interior of the container and/or from portions of the interior desired to be cooled to the cold bank. Conducting heat from hotter portions to cooler portions, or from portions to be cooled to the cold bank can result in a more uniform temperature distribution around the product.

A temperature controlled product shipper includes a phase change material bladder which can be filled at the point of packaging. The shipper includes an internal product box and an outer box where the product box is received within the outer box. The phase change material bladder is received within a cavity defined between the outer surface of the product box and the inner surface of the outer box. The shipper may also include an insulated liner which is received between the product box and the bladder.

A picnic cooler that include a food compartment, a liquid-gas tank with an adapter, an electric spigot and a cooling apparatus. The food compartment includes a release aperture with unidirectional valve that is designed to release outside the gas. The cooling apparatus includes a twisting piping system and an upper metallic plate that serves also as the inner bottom of the food compartment and as a cooling plate. A second end of the twisting piping system includes a secondary aperture that is positioned inside the food compartment and that causes additional pressure drop and by that assists to cool the interior of the food compartment.

Disclosed herein is an eco-friendly ice pack, which includes a water repellent material that maintains the shape of the ice pack and does not absorb a refrigerant, so that it can be easily separately discharged after use of the ice pack. In accordance with the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of an eco-friendly ice pack including a refrigerant including a phase change material changing phase according to temperature, an outer case including the refrigerant and being formed by sealing in order to prevent the refrigerant from being discharged to the outside, and a water repellent supporter being disposed in the outer case, holding the shape of the ice pack to prevent the shape of the ice pack from being changed according to the shape of the refrigerant, and having water repellency to the refrigerant to avoid mixing with the refrigerant.

Provided is a cold-storage agent freezing at a temperature range of a freezer in a household refrigerator and excellent in cooling retaining performance.

In a cold-storage agent including: water; ammonium chloride; potassium chloride; and sodium sulfate, content of the ammonium chloride, the potassium chloride, and the sodium sulfate satisfies the following Formula (1):

1.0<ammonium chloride/(potassium chloride+sodium sulfate)<5.0 Formula (1)

The invention relates to a process for cooling the neck of bottles, wherein the neck of the bottle, positioned in the inverted position, is submerged in a mass of a solid heat-transfer medium, for example copper shot, which mass is cooled using a cryogenic fluid, for example liquid nitrogen, or else liquid CO.sub.2 or else a mixture of such fluids.