ALCAL® flexible eutectic plates, combined with ISOS® isothermal containers, allow for the safe, temperature-controlled transport of biological samples, labile blood products, vaccines and medical treatments, regardless of the outside temperature.
The eutectic gel contained in ALCAL® plates is a molecular alloy designed for the long-term preservation and transport of sensitive products that must not be subjected to temperature variations. Its composition will determine its solid-liquid phase change temperature. And it is during this change of state, carried out at constant temperature, that the energy necessary for the perfect conservation of the transported product is released.
Each colour of eutectic plate corresponds to a specific usage temperature (positive or negative melting point). This ensures that the type of plate required is clearly identified, simplifies handling and avoids errors when preparing the insulated transport cases.
ALCAL® eutectic plates are specifically marked with the type of ALCAL, the batch number, the expiry date and the name of the establishment/user.
ALCAL® is a material developed by the CNRS, the University of Bordeaux I and the ISOS® company, and is the subject of a patent registered by the CNRS ( french National Center for Scientific Research ).
This is a far cry from the cold storage blocks used in coolers. The consistency of ALCAL® sheets is similar to that of a gel. The flexible format of ALCAL® hot eutectic plates and cold accumulators is a real added value compared to rigid pack-type products. It allows the products to be transported to be perfectly wedged into the insulated box. This simplifies loading and increases the contact surface with the products. The impact resistance is increased and the transport temperature is perfectly maintained.
The minimum keep time is several hours, and varies according to the conditions of use. The great flexibility of ISOS® enables you to adapt the conservation temperatures depending on the type of products to be transported as well as to the packaging constraints.
The purpose of the colouring is to enable the user to identify the temperature range of the ALCAL® safely and clearly. Red for ALCAL® +4°C Yellow for ALCAL® +22° and white for -30°C temperature.
Centre for Molecular Physics and Hertzian Optics (CPMOH), CNRS-University Bordeaux I
ISOS, Eyzines
Chemical Thermodynamics Group, Debye Institute, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Dpt. Cristal lografia, Mineralogia i Diposits Minerals, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain
We sometimes hear the term “ice pack” or “cool block” used. But this is all for home use in the cooler for the Sunday picnic. ALCAL® flexible cold accumulators, also known as refrigerated plates, are professional devices intended for the hospital sector and more generally for the medical environment. They comply with the current standards for the storage and transport of biological samples.
Good practice relating to the transport of samples, products and specimens from human blood are mentioned in a Ministerial Order of 24 April 2002. The use of hot eutectic plates is of course essential to ensure the thermal integrity of labile blood products. By supplying professional quality heat accumulators to the health care sector, ISOS does its part to maintain transfusion safety standards.
For your specific needs or to better adapt to your containers or your specific transport crates, we offer tailor-made ALCALS® starting from our standard dimensions and for all temperatures. EXAMPLE: ALCAL® Size 20 x 14 cm.
