Environmental Specialties' popular Ultra-Low Temp Suite employs an innovative chamber-within-a-chamber design to meet the strict bio-repository and pharmaceutical requirements of ultra-cold temperature walk-in freezer vaults. This alternative to the traditional "freezer farm" provides maximum capacity, multi-temperature storage flexibility, and frost-free product protection while being more energy efficient.
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Solutions for Biorepository Freezer Challenges
Each suite can be tailored to exact size, temperature, and electrical control specifications, or users can streamline operations by choosing from standard layouts. Most often, the suite features multi-door vaults capable of maintaining temperature setpoints of -60, -70, -75, or -80 °C. These are housed within -20 to -40 ºC freezer corridors, all supported by a shared central cascade refrigeration system.
The Ultra-Low-Temperature Freezer areas are designed without fans or moving parts to improve energy efficiency and minimize mechanical maintenance. This design delivers highly uniform storage conditions, although these chambers are not intended for freezing products. If pre-storage freezing is required, Environmental Specialties can integrate dedicated blast-freezing compartments into the suite.
This system is particularly well-suited for biopharma production and biorepository needs. With flexible options for chamber depth and door dimensions, you can accommodate a wide range of storage formats—bottles, plates, small vials, bulk drums, or canisters. Suites can include shelving or be configured to allow full carts to roll in, supporting multi-temperature storage across various biological and pharmaceutical products.
Bulk Storage for Biopharma
For facilities focused on maximizing bulk storage and efficient use of floor space, suites can be built as open walk-in environments instead of multi-door vaults. These configurations can maintain temperatures down to -80 °C. Entry is via a small unconditioned vestibule that leads into an anteroom kept at -20 °C. This layout supports optimal storage density and rapid temperature recovery, while still delivering the frost-free performance they are known for.
No Power? No Problem.
Environmental Specialties understands how valuable—and often irreplaceable—your stored products are. This is why every critical system is designed with full redundancy. Each freezer compartment and personnel corridor is equipped with dual refrigeration systems that automatically alternate to maintain functionality and ensure reliability.
Chambers are still protected in the event of a complete power outage. Our suite includes an optional LN2-based backup refrigeration system--the suite includes the unique option of refrigeration from a parallel LN2 system with controls powered via UPS. That way, even in a worst-case scenario, the user's inventory stays safe.
ULTS case studies and accomplishments
- A university medical facility uses a customized ULTS with three levels of redundancy to secure the 9/11 First Responders’ tissue repository
- Environmental Specialties created a 700-square-foot ULTS to help a major pharmaceutical manufacturer accelerate COVID-19 vaccine production
- Following Super Storm Sandy, one of Environmental Specialties’ suites helped maintain product frozen for two weeks without power
- The ULTS is used by the US Government's Regional Pandemic Response Facilities
The original and still the best
The Ultra-Low Temp Suite concept was originally implemented in 1999, and the original freezer is still in operation today. The exceptionally high value of the contents housed in these freezers demands specialized expertise in design, installation, and maintenance.
The Environmental Specialties team is uniquely qualified to excel in all three facets, delivering a world-class product backed by professional experts for worry-free performance year after year.
As the table below shows, not all ultra-low-temperature walk-in systems are equal. Protect high-value products with Environmental Specialties’ proven technology and skills.
Source: Environmental Specialties, LLC
A more efficient alternative to commercial freezer farms
Along with outperforming comparable walk-in freezer systems, the suite has several advantages over standard ultra-low temp (ULT) “freezer farms,” as seen in the image below.
Source: Environmental Specialties, LLC
Since the suite has fewer chambers than a commercial freezer farm, clients can save up to 33% on building area when they transition.
The amount of space saved by switching to one of the conventional layouts depends on the current size of the ULT freezer farm:
The solution can significantly boost efficiency. This method can reduce the total energy consumption by up to 75% while saving hundreds of thousands of kWh and pounds of CO2 emissions each year. The result is an affordable, space-saving product line that combines maximum capacity, multi-temperature uniformity, energy efficiency, and cost savings.
Environmental Specialties’ Ultra-Low Temp suites provide users with higher performance, significant cost savings, and greater dependability than ever before.
Video Credit: Environmental Specialties, LLC