Patent · US Expired

Droplet freezing method and apparatus

US4848094A · kind A · utility

66Cited by
16References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 29, 1988
Grant dateJul 18, 1989
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 29, 2008

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
  • CPC primaryF25C1/00
  • WIPO fieldPharmaceuticals
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for the generation of essentially spherical frozen droplets of a liquid biological or organic-comprising composition. The liquid composition if fed under positive pressure through a nozzle in a manner which provides a continuous stream of the liquid composition exiting the nozzle; the continuous stream travels through a gas or vapor for a distance sufficient to cause the continuous stream to break apart, forming droplets ranging in size from about 0.6 mm to about 5 mm; the liquid composition droplets are then contacted with a cryogenic liquid capable of freezing the droplets into a solid phase; the frozen droplets are concentrated into a portion of the contacting cryogenic liquid from which they are subsequently separated.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.