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Thermal Analysis of a Small Pharmaceutical Refrigerator for Vaccine Storage

Published

Author(s)

Michal J. Chojnacky

Abstract

Each year, billions of dollars of vaccines are stored in refrigerators at the facilities of a variety of medical providers. Many vaccines must be maintained in the range 2 °C to 8 °C to retain product potency. As an extension to our study of household and pharmaceutical-grade refrigerator models used for this purpose [1,2], we have evaluated the performance of a small, under-the-counter pharmaceutical refrigerator model for vaccine storage use. This unit [capacity = 0.138 m3 (4.9 cu ft)] proved fully adequate at maintaining vial temperatures within the desired 2 °C to 8 °C range, independent of how the refrigerator was loaded and under variable use and environmental conditions.
Citation
NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR) - 7900
Report Number
7900

Keywords

Cold Chain, Vaccine Storage Refrigerator, Temperature Monitoring, Digital Data Logger, Vaccine Storage and Handling, Vaccines for Children, Centers for Disease Control

Citation

Chojnacky, M. (2012), Thermal Analysis of a Small Pharmaceutical Refrigerator for Vaccine Storage, NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.7900 (Accessed December 14, 2024)

Issues

If you have any questions about this publication or are having problems accessing it, please contact reflib@nist.gov.

Created November 23, 2012, Updated November 10, 2018