+44 (0)28 4375 8045 info@polarice.co.uk

About Dry Ice

How Dry Is Made And The Applications Of Dry Ice

What Is Dry Ice?

Dry Ice is the term for carbon dioxide in a solid state. It is so-called because it does not melt into a liquid. Instead, it gradually reverts to its original gas form. This solid-to-gas transition is known as sublimation.

Dry Ice is extremely cold at -78.5oC. It is a non-toxic, colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas. Dry Ice is a readily available, economical, and versatile product to use. This makes it a valuable solution for a wide variety of industries.

Commercial Uses of Dry Ice

  • Hospitals & Research Clinics
  • Food Processing & Preservation
  • Inflight Catering
  • Chilled & Frozen Distribution
  • Chemical Industries
  • Envirotainer pre-conditioning & refrigeration
  • Industrial Dry Ice Cleaning
  • Shrink Fitting
  • Rubber Moulding
  • Degassing tanks
  • Theatrical and Special FX
  • Freeze Branding
  • Gift Shippers

Domestic Uses of Dry Ice

  • Special Effects
  • ChilliSticks Dry Ice Cocktails
  • Maintain Goods at Frozen Temperatures
  • Keep Perishables Fresh
  • Cold Caps
  • Fix Car Dent
  • Educational Experiments
  • Green Burial
  • Homemade Ice-cream
  • Non-toxic Alternative to Herbicide

How Is Dry Ice Made?

Dry ice is made by pressurising and cooling high purity carbon dioxide gas into a liquid form. The liquid CO2 is injected into a hydraulic press chamber where the atmospheric pressure converts it to a snow-like consistency. The CO2 snow is then compressed into solid blocks or pellets.

Any CO2 liquid that does not transform into snow is recovered in a CO2 gas form and recycled into the production process. The density of the compressed CO2 snow depends on the applied pressure and the pressure time. The density of a compressed block can reach 1.56g/cm3 as a maximum at a temperature of -78.64°C.

After being compressed into a solid state, Dry Ice will slowly reverts to its original gas form. This gives the appearance of a fog emanating from it. CO2 gas has greater density than air, meaning it will concentrate on the ground. Caution should be exercised when storing Dry Ice in small enclosed spaces. The level of CO2 in the air can gradually build up and exceed safe levels.

How Is Dry Ice Made?

Dry ice is made by pressurising and cooling high purity carbon dioxide gas into a liquid form. The liquid CO2 is injected into a hydraulic press chamber where the atmospheric pressure converts it to a snow-like consistency. The CO2 snow is then compressed into solid blocks or pellets.

Any CO2 liquid that does not transform into snow is recovered in a CO2 gas form and recycled into the production process. The density of the compressed CO2 snow depends on the applied pressure and the pressure time. The density of a compressed block can reach 1.56g/cm3 as a maximum at a temperature of -78.64°C.

After being compressed into a solid state, Dry Ice will slowly reverts to its original gas form. This gives the appearance of a fog emanating from it. CO2 gas has greater density than air, meaning it will concentrate on the ground. Caution should be exercised when storing Dry Ice in small enclosed spaces. The level of CO2 in the air can gradually build up and exceed safe levels.

How Long Does Dry Ice Last?

10kgs stored in the small Polar Ice storage carton will last for up to 72 hours from the time you receive it. However, for best results, you should use the dry ice within 48 hours of receiving it. The more that you have stored in the container, the longer it will last. This means it’s important to have a delivery as close as possible to the time that you will use it.

Refrain from opening and closing the insulated container as much as possible. When you remove product from the container fill the empty space with wadded newspaper or styrofoam sheets. Any “dead-air-space” will increase the rate of sublimation.

Contact Us

Our head office and manufacturing premises are located in Co. Laois, with depots in Santry Dublin, Little Island Cork, and Portadown Armagh.

Unit 47
CIDO Business Complex,
Portadown,
BT63 5WH

+44 (0)28 4375 8045

info@polarice.co.uk

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Main Office
Unit 3
Portarlington Ind. Est.,
Portarlington,
Co.Laois
R32 XR7Y
T: +353 (0)57 862 3860

Dublin Depot
Unit 42
Airways Ind. Est.,
Santry,
Dublin 9
D17 V672
T: +353 (0)1 862 3730

Cork Depot
Unit 624
Harbour Point Business Park,
Little Island,
Co.Cork
T45 RK26
T: +353 (0)21 463 4607

Northern Ireland Office
Unit 47
CIDO Business Complex,
Portadown,
BT63 5WH
Northern Ireland
T: +44 (0)28 4375 8045