A contact freezer (10) combining the techniques of plate freezing and impingement freezing. One or more cooling modules (11) are disposed sequentially with a continuous conveyor (14) for carrying a food product. Each cooling module (11) includes a refrigerated plate (16) disposed underneath and supporting the conveyor (14). The food product is simultaneously cooled using the impingement freezing technique. A cooling coil (19) is disposed above the conveyor (14). One or more fans (22) disposed below the cooling coil (19) circulate air downwardly through the cooling coil (19) and through an array of diverters (23) so that high speed cooled air is directed onto the food product. The contact freezer (10) may also include a pre-chilling section (12) with a refrigerated plate (24) but without impingement freezing elements.

A system for cooling a product includes an enclosed environment having an outlet, an inlet, and a temperature in a first temperature range. An antechamber is at least partially surrounding the inlet of the enclosed environment and has a temperature in a second temperature range. A conveyor system includes a conveyor path extending between the inlet and the outlet of the enclosed environment and provides a spiral travel path. The temperature range of the enclosed environment is configured to cool the product before the product exits through the outlet of the enclosed environment.

A spirally ascending/descending cryogenic storage apparatus, comprising a cryogenic storage tank, the temperature in the cryogenic storage tank being continuously maintained at a certain deep cryogenic range. A driving component and a rotating storage rack are provided within the cryogenic storage tank. Multiple shelf boxes can be stored in the circumferential direction of the rotating storage rack. The driving component can drive the rotating storage rack to spirally ascent or spirally descent in the cryogenic storage tank. An access opening is provided on the cryogenic storage tank. The multiple shelf boxes can rotate to a position corresponding to the access opening with the movement of the rotating storage rack. The cryogenic storage tank is a liquid nitrogen tank. Liquid nitrogen is provided at the bottom part within the liquid nitrogen tank.

A movable platen cooling apparatus includes: a compressor; a cold head that includes a cooling part; a refrigerator gas supply line that supplies a refrigerant gas from the compressor to the cold head; a refrigerator gas exhaust line that exhausts the refrigerant gas from the cold head to the compressor; a first gas inflow line that is connected to a first movable platen flow path and includes a heat exchange part thermally coupled to the cooling part; a first gas outflow line connected to the first movable platen flow path and merged with the refrigerator gas exhaust line; a second gas inflow line connected to a second movable platen flow path and disposed to be thermally non-coupled with the cooling part; and a second gas outflow line connected to the second movable platen flow path and merged with the refrigerator gas exhaust line.

A spirally ascending/descending cryogenic storage apparatus, comprising a cryogenic storage tank, the temperature in the cryogenic storage tank being continuously maintained at a certain deep cryogenic range. A driving component and a rotating storage rack are provided within the cryogenic storage tank. Multiple shelf boxes can be stored in the circumferential direction of the rotating storage rack. The driving component can drive the rotating storage rack to spirally ascent or spirally descent in the cryogenic storage tank. An access opening is provided on the cryogenic storage tank. The multiple shelf boxes can rotate to a position corresponding to the access opening with the movement of the rotating storage rack. The cryogenic storage tank is a liquid nitrogen tank. Liquid nitrogen is provided at the bottom part within the liquid nitrogen tank.

A contact drum freezer system includes a contact drum freezer, an endless product wrap belt and a cross feed conveyor. The contact drum freezer is mounted to revolve about an axis generally parallel to a main lane of transit. The endless product wrap belt has an intake shelf, an inner product-compressing run encircling most of the drum and an outer return run looping back to the intake shelf. The cross feed conveyor is situated in the main lane of transit and has a return run a and product-carrying run for transferring product laterally out of the main lane of transit and onto the intake shelf of the product wrap belt.

A movable platen cooling apparatus includes: a compressor; a cold head that includes a cooling part; a refrigerator gas supply line that supplies a refrigerant gas from the compressor to the cold head; a refrigerator gas exhaust line that exhausts the refrigerant gas from the cold head to the compressor; a first gas inflow line that is connected to a first movable platen flow path and includes a heat exchange part thermally coupled to the cooling part; a first gas outflow line connected to the first movable platen flow path and merged with the refrigerator gas exhaust line; a second gas inflow line connected to a second movable platen flow path and disposed to be thermally non-coupled with the cooling part; and a second gas outflow line connected to the second movable platen flow path and merged with the refrigerator gas exhaust line.

A contact drum freezer system includes a contact drum freezer, an endless product wrap belt and a cross feed conveyor. The contact drum freezer is mounted to revolve about an axis generally parallel to a main lane of transit. The endless product wrap belt has an intake shelf, an inner product-compressing run encircling most of the drum and an outer return run looping back to the intake shelf. The cross feed conveyor is situated in the main lane of transit and has a return run a and product-carrying run for transferring product laterally out of the main lane of transit and onto the intake shelf of the product wrap belt.

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to a method and scalable devices for hyperfast cooling and re-warming of samples. More specifically, it relates to cryogenic preservation of biological samples via vitrification. It includes: a liquid sample placed at ambient temperature in a flat thermo conductive container that in some embodiments additionally contains a detachable disposable or sterilizable thermo conductive spiral; transferring the sample to a cooling chamber using a linear percussion stepping motor drive; hyperfast cooling of the sample using streams of pressurized liquid coolant; transferring the sample to a detachable shipping/storage chamber filled with liquid coolant, from which the sample can be transferred to another vessel that contains liquid cryogenic coolant and moved back to the shipping/storage chamber. This chamber can be then attached to a re-warming chamber, in which the sample is heated to a biologically tolerant temperature above 0 degrees Celsius in a hyperfast manner.