Cold Storage at The University of Manchester

1. Dr. A. R. Nicholas, FIScT Directorate of Estates & Facilities Fac. Life Sci. & Fac. Med & Human Sci. The University of Manchester, Carys Bannister Building, Oxford Road, Manchester. M13 9PL UK arthur.nicholas@manchester.ac.uk | Tel +44(0) 161 275 5084 | Mobile +44 (0) 7798617816 | Fax + 44 (0) 0161 275 1985| http://www.sustainability.manchester.ac.uk/ Cold Storage at The University of Manchester

2. Content • Our Approach to Characterising Cold Storage Systems • Our Approaches to Achieving Safe Sustainable Efficiencies • Our Achievements to Date • Our Works in Progress & Future Aspirations

3. Our Approach to Characterising Cold Storage Systems: • A Holistic Approach to Maximisation of Safety, Operational Efficiency & Energy Saving in Cold Storage Systems • A Collaborative Approach: Technical & Academic Staff, Post Graduate Students Working Together with Staff in the University’s Directorate of Estates & Facilities and Health & Safety Services Plus our Equipment Suppliers. • An Evidence Led Approach, Qualitative & Quantitative, to Defining the Challenges and Demonstrating Successful Interventions • An Outward Looking Approach: Sharing Best Practice and Collaborating with Individuals and Organisations External to The University of Manchester

4. Defining Storage System Component Parts: • Samples • Equipment: Fridges/Freezers/Dewars • Environment & Services in Areas Housing Equipment • Management Control • Maintenance & Stock Control • Incentives/Penalties to Scrap Inefficient Systems & Practices • The Users All 7 components need to be systematically reviewed and optimised in order to achieve change i.e. a cultural shift in driving forward operational & energy efficiency in respect of Cold Storage Systems

5. Our Approaches to Achieving Safe Sustainable Efficiencies: • Maximise research & teaching efficiency by improvements to curation & sample retrieval processes • Minimise the risk of loss of storage conditions, loss of stock and injury to staff depositing & retrieving samples • Maximise security of stock • Reduce primary energy consumption & costs associated with us of storage systems e.g. reduce electricity/ Liquid Nitrogen usage • Reduce secondary energy consumption & costs associated with housing storage systems, i.e. minimise use of space & environmental control systems e.g. air conditioning • Effect Behavioural Change and Promote Sustainable Practice It is important to state that these aims highlight synergies in improving lab operational efficiency and reducing energy consumption in Cold Storage Systems

6. Deploying our Approaches and our Achievements to Date: • Planned Preventative Maintenance • “Simple” Sample Tracking Systems & Laboratory Information Management System {L.I.M.S} • Energy Efficient Equipment • Cryogenic Systems

7. Planned Preventative Maintenance The provision of a Faculty wide annual maintenance service for 123 -80 Freezers in Laboratories located across 4 Buildings Resources: Equipment; Staff; Time Tasks: Suitability of location (environmental & geographical), Filter inspection, Physical condition, PAT, Alarm Functionality - local & BMS, Promote best practice with users Methodology and further detail for the 2013 maintenance programme can be found at http://www.sustainability.manchester.ac.uk/campus/sustainablelabs/freezer

8. Decant, Defrost, Maintain, Repair, Rationalise Frost accumulation inside the freezer or around the freezer door creates gaps in seals, which allow cold air to leak out and warm air to enter the freezer. Frost can also damage the seals on the freezer

9. Suitability of Location (Environmental & Geographical) Air Extract Air Supply Freezer Freezer Create chimney, plenum, or hot aisle Reject heat management with panels and stratification From Doyle, A . (2012) ULF Freezer Management Guide

10. Filter Inspection & Cleaning Dust or grime build-up on the filter blocks the normal air flow through the condenser, which reduces the ability of the ULT freezer to effectively dissipate heat

11. Some Benefits • Energy savings: Early indications of 20% reduction in energy consumption post maintenance • Savings in repair and maintenance costs and reduced breakdowns • “Health checks” identify most energy inefficient Freezers, replacing with new energy efficient models, with a contribution to replacement cost from the Faculty Sustainability budget • Reduced procurement of Freezers arising from: freeing up of storage space; sharing storage capacity, increased longevity of freezers • Improvement in practice and behaviour of users giving rise to improved efficiencies in teaching and research • Minimise the risk of loss of storage conditions, loss of stock and injury to staff depositing & retrieving samples • Reduce secondary energy consumption associated with housing storage systems, i.e. minimise equipment footprint & environmental control systems: HVAC

12. Sample Management & Stock Control “Simple” Sample Tracking Systems • Central Liquid Nitrogen storage facilities : • The commercial market for Stock Control Software Systems was surveyed for a system to be introduced into managed Liq N2Vapour Storage Units {7 x 13,000 vials/unit}. It will compliment and enhance the existing benefits of the facility. • http://www.itemtracker.com/index.shtml • http://www.bradylab.com/ • http://www.biostorage.com/ • http://www.isber.org/biorep-services.html • http://ziath.com/index.php/products.html • A Ziath scanner designed for sample tracking with software called “Samples” has been procured. Sample tubes, with 2D bar codes lasered onto the base, are housed in Polycarbonate boxes containing holes through which the scanner can read.

13. Sample Management & Stock Control “Sophisticated” Laboratory Information Management System {L.I.M.S} Biobankingsolutions – 80 Freezer storage facilities : Storing > 500,000 aliquoted samples (Blood, DNA, Saliva etc) from research facilities across the UK Nautilus 8, Web enabled http://www.thermoscientific.com What is a LIMS ? “Computer software that is used in the laboratory for the management of samples, laboratory users, instruments, standards and other laboratory functions such as invoicing, plate management, and work flow automation.” MORE THAN a sample inventory system. But… NOT a repository for phenotype or genotype data. Nor does it make the tea!

14. Customisation Example: Folders Define an SQL query in a FILTER Associate each folder with a suitable FILTER

15. XL20 Tube Picking Robot Performing a Sample Withdrawal

16. Some Benefits of L.I.M.S ACCURACY THROUGHPUT STANDARDISATION SECURITY CONTINUITY CENTRALISATION

17. Benefits of Both “Simple” Stock Control & “Sophisticated L.I.M.S • Housekeeping Efficiency of Managed system • Terms of storage can be defined e.g.” shelf life” - stock clearance • Enables consolidation of dewar/freezer space - fewer dewars/freezers • Reduces need for paper records • Reduces duplication of records • Precise location information – reduced retrieval = reduced time with open dewar/ freezer • Saves valuable Research staff time

18. Energy Efficient Equipment -80 Freezers, Model Dependent Storage Costs The rate of primary energy consumption (kW) for sample models of -80 Freezers was measured, over a 48h period, at room temperatures set at 15oC; 18oC; 21oC; 24oC and 27oC. Data is based on the average consumption figures across all temperatures Average Energy Consumption Energy cost @ 0.07£/kWh

19. Energy Efficient Equipment -80 Freezers, Model Dependent Storage Costs • The Freezer model: • Modeldependent variation in primary energy cost to cool one litre of space has the potential to provide 76% savings in primary energy running costs. • By replacing the Faculty of Life Sciences entire stock {121 -80 Freezers housed across 4 buildings} with more energy efficient models we predict (based on a mean running cost of £700 yr-1) a potential annual saving in primary energy cost of £54K yr-1 • The Ambient Room Temperature: • The mean primary energy consumption, across all models tested, demonstrated only a 17% increase over the range 15oC to 27oC over the 48h test period • Maintaining all room temperatures, housing Freezers, at 15oC would result in primary energy cost savings of: • £5.5K yr-1 in comparison to maintaining rooms at 21oC • £12.6 K yr-1in comparison to maintaining rooms at 27oC

20. Potential Benefits and Issues Associated with -80 Freezer Clusters • Potential Benefits • Facilities more readily managed • Regulation of environmental conditions (ambient room temperature) is more efficiently achieved • Safety aspects e.g. CO2 backup system alarms more efficiently achieved • Security of stock i.e. access control more efficiently achieved • Reduced instillation cost of BMS linked alarm systems; increased detection of local alarm activations (by virtue of security checks or increased foot fall to freezer cluster) • Potential Issues • Contingency arrangements • Best electrical supply (i.e. distribution of equip between circuits + circuit protection) • Archive location vs. “active stock” location (frequency of retrieval & proximity issues) • Best Location on/off site? Inside/outside of Building?

21. Energy Efficient Equipment Liquid Nitrogen Dewars 7 Vapour Storage dewars (~13K samples/dewar) are automatically & simultaneously, kept toped up with Liq N2 piped from a 950L static tank outside the building, filled by a BOC tanker approx. twice a week 35 portable sample storage dewars were filled with Liq N2 twice a week from 3 portable pressurised dewars by core facilities Technicians. The pressurised dewars were filled by a BOC, Tanker delivery, outside the building – dewars were shuttled via a goods lift between the first floor and ground floor, outside the building, twice a week

22. Potential Benefits and Issues Associated with Communal Liquid N2 Storage Facilities • Potential Benefits • Facilities more readily managed with competent/knowledgeable Technical support • Safety aspects e.g. reduced volumes of Liq N2 stored in facility; compliant alarms & emergency extract; reduced manual handling & filling of dewars; controlled access; compulsory training • Reduced use of staff resource • Potential Issues • Contingency arrangements • Best electrical supply (i.e. distribution of equip between circuits + circuit protection) • Archive location vs. “active stock” location (frequency of retrieval & proximity issues) • Best Location on/off site? Inside/outside of Building?

23. Works Currently in Progress • Use lessons learned to deliver, summer 2013, a Freezer Cluster - Freezer Farm project (housing 35 x -80 Freezers) as an exemplar for Safety and Sustainability • Review of liquid Helium security of supply {short, medium and long term} as well as the carbon footprint – whether we recycle or buy new • Consideration of Energy Issues relating to Cold Rooms and Fridges

24. Our Future Aspirations Ambient Temperature Storage Led by Researchers Martin Yuille & Bill Ollier at The University of Manchester plus interaction with US Store Smart Initiative and Biostabilizers Sandbox Discussion Group, Rationalisation of Sample Storage Choices Establish Criteria for sample storage conditions: Define clearly criteria for storage at: -196, -80, -40, -20, + 4 & ambient Ambient Temperature Storage Technologies have been developed (e.g. by Biomatrica & Gentegra) which mimic anhydrobiosis for DNA, RNA, Tissues

25. Ambient Temperature Storage • Potential Benefits • Savings on cost of capital equipment, recurrent energy, space • Potential Issues • Contingency arrangements e.g. Power failure – dehumidifiers • Heat generated from storage units / dehumidifiers • Hydration /dehydration cycles leading to sample degradation (acid / enzyme based hydrolysis) • Air tight, inert gas filled storage units (access management) • Maintenance / cleaning; Silica gel (replacement) • Disposal of existing -80 freezer units

26. Our Future Aspirations Environmental Control in Freezer Clusters (Ambient Temp) Costs • The findings presented herein relating to -80 Freezers, Model Dependent Storage Costs represent only part of the energy consumption/cost picture • Working with our colleagues in the Directorate of Estates & Facilities we will obtain data relating to secondary energy consumption i.e. energy & associated cost to maintain a known room volume, with a defined heat load, at temperature ranges covered in this pilot study  ?? F F F F -80 Freezer Heat Load F F F F Air Extract Air Supply AC Cooling

27. Acknowledgments • I’d especially like to thank colleagues at the University of Manchester : • Geoff Blunt {FLS} • Stephen Fawkes {FLS} • Stephen Manifold {FLS} • Jonathon Miller {FLS} • Rita Newbould {FLS} • Stephen Whittaker {FLS}