ULT freezer

An ultra low temperature (ULT) freezer is a refrigerator that stores contents at −80 to −86 °C (−112 to −123 °F) An ultra low temperature freezer is commonly referred to as a "minus 80 freezer" or a "negative 80 freezer", referring to the most common temperature standard.ULT freezers come in upright and chest freezer formats.

Application

In contrast to short term sample storage at +4 to −20 °C (39 to −4 °F) by using standard refrigerators or freezers, many molecular biology or life science laboratories need long-term cryopreservation (including "cold chain" and/or "colder chain" infrastructures) for biological samples like DNA, RNA, proteins, cell extracts, or reagents. To reduce the risk of sample damage, these types of samples need extremely low temperatures of −80 to −86 °C (−112 to −123 °F). Mammalian cells are often stored in dewars containing liquid nitrogen at −196 °C (−320.8 °F). Cryogenic chest freezers can achieve temperatures down to −150 °C (−238 °F) to −152 °C (−242 °F)[4] and may include a liquid nitrogen backup

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Biological samples in ULT freezers are often stored in polymer tubes and microtubes, generally inside storage boxes that are commonly made of cardboard, polymer plastics or other materials. Microtubes are placed in storage boxes containing a grid of dividers that typically permit 64, 81, or 100 tubes to be stored. Standard ULT freezers can store approximately 350 to 450 microtube boxes

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ULT freezers are widely used in fish and meat preservation.The tuna fishing industry requires the use of ULT freezers.

ULT freezers are commonly fitted with alarm systems that will remotely alert designated parties in the case of a freezer failure

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