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Lots of things in a lab need to stay cool, even cold. But not everything needs to be kept in a complete frigid environment, like −80° Celsius. The key is keeping refrigeration cold enough for the samples inside. For many items, 2–8 °C is fine. It’s not just the temperature, though, that matters. How lab personnel can get into a refrigerator, like doors on one side or two, can also make a difference in some applications. In nearly all labs, energy efficiency makes up one of today’s top desired features in refrigeration.
In shopping for lab refrigeration, it’s worth remembering what someone once told me: “You wouldn’t buy a sportscar when all you want is a fuel-efficient vehicle.” So, a lab manager should shop for refrigeration that fits the specific lab’s needs, including samples and other items that must be stored.
Assessing a lab’s situation
Before considering specific options on the market, let’s think a bit more generally. “The foundation of laboratory refrigeration is the safety of the products or samples being stored so that work in the lab can continue without interruption,” says Alex Esmon, senior product director, cold storage, laboratory equipment at Thermo Fisher Scientific (Waltham, MA). “After that, it’s dependent on the type of laboratory.”
In validated labs, refrigeration must adhere to promised performance criteria. “If it’s a lab that is focused on sustainability, energy consumption and heat output will be important factors,” Esmon explains. “In some cases, crowded labs will want to consider noise reduction and improvement of the working environment.”
In most cases, a lab might not be able to pick just one feature or situation. As Esmon says of the examples that he posed: “All of these scenarios can and often do exist in the same space, which is why many laboratories are looking for cold-storage solutions that meet all of their needs, without having to sacrifice one benefit for another.”
Ultimately, a lab manager must find the best way to address a lab’s likely diverse refrigeration needs. When asked about the best approach to that, Esmon advises, “Assess what is most important to your daily work and operations; then look for a partner that can help you meet those needs with an understanding that some of the sacrifices of past products are no longer a barrier.”
Enhancing access
Where a lab refrigerator can be placed or how scientists access the samples can impact the best selection for a lab. For placement, larger refrigerators sit on the floor, just like a home appliance. Some lab setups need other options.
Among the various possibilities, So-Low Environmental Equipment (Cincinnati, OH) makes under-counter lab refrigerators, such as the MV4-6UCRDA, which operates at 2–8 °C and provides 4.6 cubic feet of capacity. It still sits on the floor, but can take up less lab space, if needed. Despite the small size, this refrigerator delivers plenty of extras, such as high- and low-temperature alarms, auto-defrost, zero clearance, and more. If under-counter isn’t a reasonable option, various manufacturers make models that can sit on a countertop.
It’s not always a refrigerator’s placement in a lab that matters. Sometimes, how a scientist can access the samples is more important. In some labs, just getting into a refrigerator from one side isn’t enough. In such cases, a pass-through design might be the best choice. As an example, So-Low Environmental Equipment offers its DH4-25PT pass-through lab refrigerator, which operates at 1–8 °C and provides 25 cubic feet of capacity. Even with doors on both sides, this refrigerator keeps samples safe. For example, both doors can be locked.
The need for variable speed
Like many electrical devices, controlling the speed of operation constrains how efficient the device can be in energy use. If the control is just a switch—on or off—there’s not a lot of room for finesse. On the other hand, modern electronics should allow for more sophistication.
When asked about Thermo Fisher Scientific’s most interesting and recent advance in laboratory refrigeration, Esmon points out “the concept of variable-speed control mechanisms in our units that allow for smarter product operation.” He adds, “This means the units are maximizing their effort and only drawing on resources when needed.”
This advance in technology clearly saves energy, but it does even more. “The result is a better working space with less environmental impact, all without sacrificing performance,” Esmon states. “These variable-speed control mechanisms can be found in our TSX family of products—just ask for V-Drive.”
Thermo Scientific TSX Series high-performance lab refrigerators provide 2–8 °C storage. (Image courtesy of Thermo Fisher Scientific.)Energy assessments
Among all of the options and improvements in lab refrigerators, energy efficiency seems to grow increasingly important. It’s important enough that ENERGY STAR—the U.S. government-backed program for ranking the efficiency of many devices—runs a website on ENERGY STAR-certified, lab-grade refrigerators and freezers—the Energy Star Laboratory Refrigerators and Freezers Program.
Even now, this site includes a long list of high-performance lab refrigerators from Thermo Fisher Scientific that make the grade. The ENERGY STAR website also includes lab refrigerators from Cardinal Health (Dublin, OH), PHCbi (previously Panasonic Healthcare), So-Low Environmental Equipment, and others. For example, the PHCbi PR-L2466W-PA is an upright, high-performance refrigerator with 2.44 cubic feet of space. According to the ENERGY STAR website, this model consumes 0.48 kilowatt hours of electricity per day.
With this ENERGY STAR website and the Labcompare list of options, lab managers can compare features and performance on a wide range of lab refrigerators. Once a user settles on the key features that matter—such as placement, sample access, and size—a wide range of refrigerators can be considered, without even leaving the lab. Still, it helps to see the product before buying. Although some of a refrigerator’s features can be analyzed on paper, there’s nothing like looking inside the real thing. It might be easiest to look around the refrigerators in nearby labs or take a walk on a trade-show floor. A refrigerator should last many years in a lab, so take some time before making a decision.
Mike May is a freelance writer and editor living in Texas. He can be reached at [email protected]