Information needed to specify a cryogenic facility

Specifying a cryogenic facility

What we need to understand before equipment and services are fixed

A freezer schedule is only one part of a cryogenic-facility brief.

The equipment must suit the samples and working practices, while the room, LN₂ supply, ventilation, monitoring and controls must support it safely. Bringing that information together early avoids late changes between packages that were designed separately.

The useful starting information

· Sample temperature, container, box and rack format

· Present capacity, expected growth and existing equipment

· Room dimensions, access route and known site constraints

· Manual or automatic filling and any LN₂ dispensing requirement

· Proposed LN₂ supply—or the information needed to compare options

· Available ventilation, oxygen-monitoring and alarm information

· Required resilience, remote reporting and project programme

It does not all need to be decided

Early involvement is useful while options are still open. Unknowns can be recorded and worked through with the relevant designer. The important point is to distinguish a confirmed requirement from an assumption and make somebody responsible for closing each gap.

Turning the requirement into a coordinated brief

LABMODE helps clients define the cryogenic equipment and the interfaces around it. We work with the project team so the freezers, LN₂ supply, pipework, ventilation, monitoring and controls are developed for the same operating requirement.

Ready for the construction environment

LABMODE holds Compliance Chain Gold status following an independent desktop audit against the Common Assessment Standard. Our management systems and supporting evidence have therefore been independently assessed across health and safety, quality, environmental and construction-related activities—not simply self-declared.