Re: [DIYbio] Freezer colder than -20C, but warmer than -80C

Almost certainly something to do with optimal phase transition behaviour in common refrigerants, I'd say. I would imagine that -80C is more attractive than -40/-60 also because it freezes water rapidly enough to skip a few of the more damaging ice crystal types, but ultimately I suspect it's just an economy thing. As well as compatibility with the temperature of dry ice, which is either used for transiting frozen goods or as a backup/band-aid for failing freezers.

In some places one can just buy dry ice easily enough, which presents another possible route to accessing mid-range temperatures if combined with different bath fluids - when combined with acetone it can go down to nearly -80C but a combination of different fluids, or minor electronic contrivances to control airflow around a bath, could allow control between -80 and -20. Probably.

Just watch out for condensing ice build-up with custom-built rigs. This is a problem even at -20C and it's why most modern freezers have an antifreeze cycle (which is problematic for home labs because it exposes enzymes and cultures to regular temperature spikes). I've never built a refrigerator but I imagine this is one of the harder engineering problems to solve without relying on regular defrost cycles. Perhaps a silly-but-practical route would be to build two of the same rig and just alternate them to permit regular defrosts.


13 Apr 2021, 00:02 by dkotes@gmail.com:
No idea, but would honestly love to know out of all the temperatures
that could have been chosen, why -80C and -20C are the standards.

On Mon, Apr 12, 2021 at 5:54 PM Tom De Medts <tdmedts@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear all,

Is it possible via DIY engineering to design and build
a freezer that is colder than -20C, but warmer than -80C.

-20C freezers are relatively inexpensive
and
-80C freezers are way more expensive, also large in size, requiring maintenance plans

I want to know whether there is something in between....

Thanks!

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