Patent ID: 11867446
Assignee: nan
Field: Other consumer goods (Other fields)
Classification: CPC F  A | IPC F

Claim 0:
1. A low-temperature storage device, comprising:
an inner vessel;
an outer vessel about the inner vessel;
a thermal insulation layer between the inner vessel and the outer vessel;
a single heat exchanger within, and in thermal communication with, an interior of the inner vessel, the single heat exchanger including:
an input connection on the exterior of the outer vessel, and
an output connection within the inner vessel, wherein the single heat exchanger is adapted to be selectively connected as at least one of: an evaporator in a closed-loop refrigeration circuit, and an open-loop evaporator for an externally-supplied cryogen;

a first valve on the exterior of the outer vessel and connected to the input connection, the first valve configured to selectively switch between a refrigerant from a mechanical refrigeration system and a cryogen from a cryogen source; and
a second valve on the interior of the interior vessel and connected to the output connection, the second valve configured to selectively connect between the closed-loop refrigeration circuit or the open-loop evaporator.