New VirTis Shell Bath Offers Efficiency And Convenience

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New VirTis Shell Bath Offers Efficiency And Convenience
12/2/2004
VertMarkets, Inc.
The new VirTis Benchtop Shell Bath is a self-contained, compact freezing unit designed for the laboratory benchtop. This Benchtop Shell Bath produces a frozen product coating to the inside of freeze-drying flasks. This allows the freeze-drying process to be far more efficient than other conditions such as ?stub freezing.? A thin coating of product is evenly frozen around the inside of a freeze-drying flask, permitting a greater volume of material to be quickly and efficiently processed during each freeze-drying run. These refrigerated units provide a simple and safer method of pre-freezing multiple flasks at one time and producing the thin shell inside. The freeze dry cycle is shortened because moisture does not have to migrate through the ice interface and a thick layer of already dried product. The higher surface area also allows better heat transfer.
The VirTis Benchtop Shell Bath is mounted in a streamlined, compact cabinet that allows capacities of up to two each 1200 mL flasks and up to four each 40 mL flasks at one time. Freeze-drying flasks are automatically rotated by speed controlled, motor driven rollers in a refrigerated bath containing alcohol or any other freeze resistant fluid. The stainless steel rollers rotate freeze-drying flasks in the -70?C bath evenly distributing a thin coating of liquid product around the inside ?shell? of the flask until it is frozen solid. A greater volume of material may be quickly processed during each freeze-drying cycle. To produce the most efficient format, a cylindrical shell, the flask is filled approximately 1/3 full and placed on its side for rotation. This provides a high surface to volume ratio of frozen sample to be freeze dried. A flask lift device permits flasks to be ? filled. The device elevates the flask end cap and allows a conical coating to form inside the flasks as they rotate. This prevents fouling of the lid, filter, and stoppering plug.