Apart from a small capital cost, everything needed is already in place. The freezing capability necessary to freeze the eutectic plates will be in place to chill or freeze foodstuffs or maintain low temperature of ice-cream. The eutectic plates replace traditional “dry-ice”, which evaporates and is a non-reusable resource. Further advantages are derived from the fact that there are no middlemen involved, thus minimizing mark ups in price to the end user.

Uses include ice cream and cool drink vending and the transport of frozen and chilled goods and vaccine, to only name a few. Warm or hot climatic areas of the world, such as tropics or arid areas, would benefit most of all. These include Africa , South and Central America, large parts of Asia, the mid- East and Australia.

No animal products are used in the manufacturing process, so the eutectic plates would not be offensive to any religion or culture.

Uses of Eutectic Plates
ICE-CREAM VENDING – Impulse ice-cream confectionery is sold from in-situ ice-cream conservators and mobile insulated containers, mounted on trolleys or carts. The product must be maintained at a temperature of approximately -20 degrees Celsius to remain sellable. In mobile containers, eutectic plates frozen to -25 degrees c are placed in the container with the product and, subject to ambient temperatures and insulation performance, the product will remain sellable for between eight to twelve hours.

COOL DRINK VENDING – Eutectic plates frozen to -10 degrees c are placed in a mobile insulated container with the product and subject to ambient temperature and insulation performance, the product will remain at 4 degrees c for between eight to twelve hours.

FROZEN AND CHILLED GOODS TRANSPORT – Frozen and chilled foodstuffs are transported in dedicated refrigerated vehicles equipped with insulated bodies and diesel or electric refrigeration plants. Eutectic plates, frozen to -25 degrees c, used in conjunction with well insulated containers would enable standard freight trucks, with no refrigeration equipment, to carry part-chilled or frozen loads. As the containers are not opened during transport, the temperature within the container would remain low. This category includes fishing and fish farming where the catch is removed to a central processing plant.

VACCINE TRANSPORT – the physiology of vaccines requires them to be refrigerated in order to maintain their efficacy and this applies to transportation of vaccines equally. Traditionally, they are packed in small insulated containers together with ice (water) and transported thus. Due to the small size of these containers, it is not economically viable to refrigerate them and melting ice creates unhygienic and messy conditions. Eutectic plates, frozen at 0 degrees c, replace ice and do not melt into a liquid, thus obviating this problem. The quantity of eutectic plates used varies with the size of the container and the application which is being used, and is available on application. Size of the plates is also relevant to the application, and this information is also available on application.

BENEFITS

The cost implications of eutectic plates should be emphasized. Cooling mediums are replaced by a one-off purchase and the eutectic plates are used at the point of distribution, and it is not necessary to transport such cooling mediums. The need to purchase cooling mediums on a continual basis, particularly where they are not readily available, is eliminated. Where adequate freezing facilities are not in place, especially in the case of ice-cream sales and distribution, cabinets which are capable of reaching the low temperatures necessary can be provided which will freeze the eutectic plates to the required temperature. This does away with the need for a cold-=room with sufficient freezing capacity, which requires a large capital input. These cabinets are available at a fraction of the cost of a cold-room, and do not require a lot of space for installation.

MARKETS

Warm or hot climatic areas of the world, such as the tropics or arid areas, would benefit most of all. These include Africa, parts of South and Central America, large parts of Asia, the mid-East and Australia. No animal products are used in the manufacturing process and the eutectic plates would not be offensive to any religion or culture.