What Is Dry Ice Used For?

Dry ice can be used for more than a dramatic fog effect. It’s a handy cooling agent with applications in the retail, shipping, and medical industries. There are many benefits associated with dry ice, and understanding them can help you improve your processes and preserve essential assets for long periods of time.

Keep reading to learn the purpose of dry ice and how to use dry ice to meet your needs.

What Is the Purpose of Dry Ice?

Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide (CO2) with a temperature at or below -109.3 degrees Fahrenheit. It has a lower temperature than regular ice and stays at that low temperature for longer. Because dry ice sublimates (changes from a solid to a gas directly), it requires no cleanup after use. At room temperature, 5 to 10 pounds of dry ice can sublimate in 24 hours.

People often use dry ice for refrigeration. Packing and preserving temperature-sensitive items like biological samples and medical supplies is easier and cleaner using dry ice. Dry ice remains cold in transport, and you don’t have to clean up any water afterward.

How To Handle Dry Ice

Dry ice is as helpful as it is dangerous. Skin contact with the ice can lead to extreme frostbite. When you handle dry ice, you must take the necessary precautions. As dry ice sublimates, it releases significant amounts of CO2. Displacing oxygen around the ice can lead to asphyxiation, loss of consciousness, and death.

Once made, dry ice should be kept in a well-insulated container. Thick insulation prevents the ice from sublimating too quickly. Whatever you store your dry ice in, the container should never be completely closed. Sealed containers cause the CO2 to sink and pressurize. Keeping dry ice in an airtight container may cause the bin to explode.

When handling dry ice, make sure you’re working in a well-ventilated area. Wear heavy, insulated gloves and safety glasses in the event of an explosion. Under no circumstances should you taste or swallow dry ice or touch it without protection. Never open a swollen or otherwise mishandled dry ice container.

Safely storing your dry ice is critical to your safety and product quality. Oxygen Service Company knows what precautions to take to ensure the integrity of your dry ice supplies.

What Is Dry Ice Used for in the Medical Field and Other Industries?

Dry ice has many applications in many industries. Let’s look at some of the most common uses for dry ice.

How To Use Dry Ice for Medical Applications

Medical professionals frequently use dry ice to transport organs, blood, biological samples, and medical supplies from one location to the other because it’s an excellent cooling agent. And since dry ice doesn’t leave residue behind, bacteria and other contaminants can’t compromise the materials.

The substance also has a place in the operating room. CO2 is used in cosmetic surgeries as an alternative to liquid nitrogen. If you’ve had a mole or wart removal, chances are there was dry ice involved in the procedure. Dry ice products can even clean medical devices and equipment to provide a safe and healthy environment.

Dry Ice Blasting

Dry ice blasting is one of the most popular uses of CO2. It’s a non-abrasive blasting method helpful in cleaning industrial equipment. Dry ice blasting uses compressed air with high-velocity nozzles and dry ice pellets to clear away grime, chemicals, and other residues. Because the pellets evaporate on impact, there’s no cleanup needed. The blasting process produces no secondary waste, reducing operational costs and environmental impact.

This method of non-abrasive blasting is excellent for asphalt equipment, printing presses, electrical motors and generators, pulp and paper mills, and industrial cleaning applications. Dry ice blasting is especially helpful in the aerospace and food industries.

Oxygen Service Provides High-Quality Dry Ice Solutions

Maintaining dry ice is challenging. Ensuring the product is secured and transported safely takes the right resources and attention to detail. Oxygen Service Company provides companies with best-practices solutions for keeping dry ice supply as high quality as possible.

Are you tired of receiving ineffective dry ice products? We never stockpile our supplies in a warehouse. Our dry ice is made to order. We weigh dry ice orders before shipping them out to ensure you get what you expect. We use our production locations in St. Paul and Sauk Rapids, OSC, to provide dry ice to many industries.

We manufacture dry ice in blocks, 16 mm pellets, and 3 mm rice. Our orders are also customizable. Whether you need one 5-pound retail purchase or thousands of pounds of product, we can fulfill your order. We’ll meet your needs and provide you with quality dry ice.

Ready for fresh, high-quality dry ice products? Reach out to OSC today.