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Cool Pack


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#1 Guest_PhilipKukulski_*

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Posted 24 July 2010 - 10:47 AM

I am thinking of trying a pint of DMSO
frozen solid from the refrigerator (not freezer)
as a cool pack for shipping NA native fish.

Melts at 18.4C (65F).

Might work better as a freeze protector in the winter.

#2 Guest_Dustin_*

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Posted 24 July 2010 - 11:23 AM

That's some pretty nasty stuff if the container were to leak or be punctured. I would assume that would be considered a hazardous chemical and have to meet special shipping requirements.

#3 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 24 July 2010 - 12:02 PM

I agree with Dustin, DMSO is absorbed straight though your skin, and carries with it any contaminants that it comes in contact with. Looks like an open invitation for a lawsuit.
Why not just bottles of frozen water? Much cheaper anyway.

#4 Guest_blakemarkwell_*

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Posted 25 July 2010 - 01:48 PM

Yeah, DMSO does require specialized packaging and shipping because we get shipments of it for the lab quite often -- I like the frozen water idea.

Blake

#5 Guest_PhilipKukulski_*

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Posted 25 July 2010 - 05:10 PM

Yeah, DMSO does require specialized packaging and shipping because we get shipments of it for the lab quite often -- I like the frozen water idea.

Blake


Melting points are different.

#6 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 25 July 2010 - 08:54 PM

Melting points are different.

Yes they are different, but does that mean that DMSO cools any longer? It becomes liquid at a higher temp, but it is still that temp. Olive oil also solidifies at a higher temp than water, might fit the bill, and is not as risky.

#7 Guest_PhilipKukulski_*

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Posted 25 July 2010 - 10:07 PM

Olive oil also solidifies at a higher temp than water, might fit the bill, and is not as risky.


Wrong.
http://www.engineeri...nts-d_1088.html

#8 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 25 July 2010 - 10:46 PM

Wrong.
http://www.engineeri...nts-d_1088.html

Sorry, I have watched oils solidify at a higher temp than water and was sure that olive oil was one of them. Either way, using DMSO for a cold pack is about the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard. Does the melting point have anything to do with the temps? For that matter send a nice cool steel bar, it doesn't melt until........... What temp, you tell me.

#9 Guest_PhilipKukulski_*

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Posted 26 July 2010 - 08:01 AM

Sorry, I have watched oils solidify at a higher temp than water and was sure that olive oil was one of them. Either way, using DMSO for a cold pack is about the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard. Does the melting point have anything to do with the temps? For that matter send a nice cool steel bar, it doesn't melt until........... What temp, you tell me.


For example:
Ice melts (and cools things down) at 32F. If the package is at 40F, the ice will already be melting and cooling the package, but I only want the package to cool after the package reaches 75F.

I can buy Coconut oil that melts at 76F. But it only has one third the heat of fusion as water.

#10 Guest_nativeplanter_*

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Posted 26 July 2010 - 11:38 AM

At work we have phase change cooling vests. If I remember correctly, the inserts are some sort of oil/wax mix. They start to melt around 55 to 60 degrees; I think different brands may melt at different temperatures. They can be recharged (resolidified) in a cooler of ice water in about 20 minutes). Not sure how long they'd last in a postal package; on a person they last about an hour and a half or so, but that's against a body in high outdoor temperatures.

#11 Guest_blakemarkwell_*

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Posted 26 July 2010 - 11:59 AM

Phillip,

Have you looked at glycerol? Melting point of 17.8oC (64.2oF); you could dilute a 100% stock solution to get the exact temperature you want -- and would be much safer.

Blake

Edited by blakemarkwell, 26 July 2010 - 12:00 PM.


#12 Guest_SilverBinder_*

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Posted 04 September 2010 - 03:53 PM

I have packed and shipped fish from Texas for over twenty years. Cool packs here are essential in summer.
I buy the cheap blue ice packs sold in grocery stores and Acadamy and Walmart. Keep them in the freezer until needed.
Whem shipping fish, I only ship on Mondays and use Priority or Express mail. Just before I go to the PO, I take a cool pack out, wrap it with newspaper and place it in a 'tough' freezer bag. I place this on top of the fish seperated by a couple of layers of bubble wrap. My boxes are insulated with insulation board. Under the double bagged fish, I add some more newspaper to absorbe any leaks. I only use Kordon breather bags when shipping to England or really distant places.

In the old days, we used ziplocked bags filled with water and frozen in the same manner.

In my collecting chests, I have pint and quart plastic jars filled with water and frozen to maintain low temps. I do the same thing with live shrimp in my bait buckets. Hope this helps - I operate on the principal of KISS.

:smile2:

#13 Guest_PhilipKukulski_*

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Posted 05 September 2010 - 09:13 PM

This stuff is better than ice.

I have been using it for 8 shipments this hot summer.

see under Shipping



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