Supplier of industrial, medical and food grade gases | dry ice
Dry ice
Dry ice or carbon dioxide snow is the solid form of carbon dioxide or CO2. Dry ice is mainly used for cooling purposes. The cooling capacity of dry ice is a lot higher than that of water ice. That is why dry ice is very suitable for places where no energy source is available to achieve low temperatures. By sublimation, dry ice changes directly from solid form into the gaseous state, this happens with dry ice under standard pressure.
Dry ice is produced in a special installation by letting liquid carbon dioxide expand (at - 20 °C and 20 bar) to atmospheric pressure. Carbon dioxide then goes into the solid form (carbon dioxide snow). This product is compressed to the known pellets (pieces) or blocks. Dry ice has a whitish colour and gives a prickling feeling in the nose. Dry ice sublimes under the formation of gaseous carbon dioxide. This gas can be asphyxiating. Dry ice is an ideal way to (indirectly) cool. Dry ice also has bacteriostatic and fungi static properties and thereby stops the development of bacteria and fungi. Dry ice owes its name to the property that it has that there is no residue remaining after evaporation. The dry ice sublimes from solid form to gaseous form. As such neither the cooled product, nor the package is contaminated.
Forms of dry ice
CO2-pellets
CO2-pellets are used for storage and transportation of frozen products, both food and non-food (biomedical and pharmaceutical products). It is also used for the production of "cloud"-effects. CO2-pellets (9 mm or 16 mm diameter) are supplied in plastic bags, polystyrene boxes or in insulated rented containers.
Radiation grains
The finer, shorter version of CO2-pellets is used as a radiation source for environmentally-friendly cleaning of heavily contaminated surfaces and machinery parts. It also finds its application in the food industry where cleaning of tins, conveyor belts and such can take place without leaving behind a residue. Radiation grains are supplied in insulated rented containers.
Dry ice disks
These are packed disks of 125 mm x 105 mm, x 36-42 mm, available in 700 grams. Dry ice-disks have the same scope of application as CO2-pellets, but are more practical in use for certain sectors due to their individual packaging. Dry-ice-disks are available per 7 kg (min 10 disks of 700 gram), individually packaged in a box.
Please note: Dry ice can cause burns when touching it. Please always have the necessary protection means at hand and always stick to the safety instructions on the packaging.
Physicochemical Constants
| Symbol | CO2 |
|---|---|
| Average molecular weight (kg/mol) | 44.01 |
| Density of the gas (kg/m3 at 1.013 bar and 0 °C) | 1.977 |
| Relative density of the gas (air = 1) | 1.53 |
| Sublimation temperature | - 78.45 °C (194.7 K) |
| Critical temperature | t = 31 °C (304.2 K), p = 73.8 bar |
| Density of blocks (kg/dm3) | 1.69 |
| Sublimation heat (kJ/kg) | 573.6 |
The cooling capacity by heating from -78.45 °C to 0 °C amounts to 645 KJ/kg (154 kcal/kg).
Application areas
Ideal to refrigerate pharmaceutical products or frozen food products
Refrigeration during power failures with environmental techniques
Dry ice for rapid closure of the supply of oxygen during a fire in a silo
Other application areas:
- Refrigeration of production tanks or barrels: for example during paint manufacturing
- Use in industrial processes
- Refrigerated dispatch of pharmaceutical products, antibiotics and vaccines, etc.
- Smoke effects in disco’s, film sets, catering business
- Freezing of water (drying of solvents)
Attention: dry ice is not a food
Delivery forms
| Type | Weight | Radiation ice 3 mm diam. | Pellets 9 mm diam. | Pellets 16 mm diam. | Blocks 0.5 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic bag | 10 kg | - | D005 | - | - |
| Insulated rented containers | 250 kg | D302 loose in container | D002 loose in container | D102 loose in container | D202 indiv. pack. |
| 250 kg | - | D007 in bag in container | D101 loose in container | D222 indiv. pack. | |
| 400 kg | D301 loose in container | D001 loose in container | D101 loose in container | D201 not packaged | |
| 400 kg | - | D006 in bag in container | D106 in bag in container/td> | D221 indiv. pack. | |
| 300 kg green cont. | D303 | - | - | - | |
| Bulk (loose) | According to offered container | - | D004 | D104 | - |
In addition, a polystyrene box can always be purchased:
- 10 kg with article code M-PM-00002
- 30 kg with article code M-PM-00001
Extra information:
- Dimensions of the block of dry ice: 125x210 mm or 125x105 mm in varying thicknesses and weights (up to a maximum of 50 mm thickness)
- Plastic bags of 10 kg – dimensions of empty bag: 75 cm x 49 cm
- Individual packaging: the blocks of dry ice can be individually packed in a plastic foil with pre-printed security info
- With the purchase of loose blocks of dry ice a polystyrene box as packaging is recommended
Specification of the quality
CO2-liquid, frozen as a raw material: this product is in compliance with the specific purity requirements of E290, laid down in the EC directive 2008/84/EC and the European Pharmacopeia.
| Parameters | Limit values | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CO2 | ≥ 99.99% (purity) | vpm |
| CO | ≤ 0.2 | ppm |
| total sulphur (aver. as S) | ≤ 0.05 | vpm |
| O2 + N2 + Ar | ≤ 70 | vpm |
| O2 + Ar | ≤ 10 | vpm |
| H2 | ≤ 5 | vpm |
| H2O | ≤ 5 | vpm (-65 °C) |
| oil | ≤ 0.2 | ppm |
| CH4 | ≤ 10 | vpm |
| other hydrocarbons (mixed as methane) | ≤ 1 | vpm |
| NH3 | ≤ 0.3 | vpm |
| NOx | ≤ 0.3 | vpm |
Safety information
Dry ice is very cold and asphyxiates. The gas or vapour is heavier than air and may accumulate in pits, cellars, enclosed spaces... See the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) no: 018C.