New vaccine refrigerators resistant to unreliable power supply

B Medical Systems is launching ice-lined refrigerators specially designed to accept all voltages and frequencies worldwide. The unique and innovative technology detects unstable electricity supply and prevents the AC equipment to fail.

“B Medical Systems becomes the first company worldwide to offer vaccine cold chain devices equipped with a fully integrated voltage stabilization solution. Our investments in research and development, informed by observations of installed systems and customer feedback, have resulted in this technological breakthrough. Voltage instability is a big challenge in developing countries, where medical refrigerators die one after another and pile up in ‘fridge graveyards’”, says Luc Provost, CEO of B Medical Systems.

Having access to a reliable source of power is particularly crucial for health facilities. Hospitals and vaccination centers, for example, heavily rely on electricity to safeguard lifesaving vaccines and carry out immunization campaigns successfully. Certain regions of the world undergo high over-voltage disturbances due to unreliable grid infrastructure or overuse of generators. However short they may be, these abrupt spikes in voltage levels can be destructive for sensitive electronic devices. They can lead to operational issues, or overheating of the electronics and compressors, leading to serious implications.

The new patent-pending technology developed by B Medical Systems helps find a solution to this challenge. The innovation lies in the integration of a full voltage stabilization solution – resistant to voltage up to 305V – into the device. It continuously measures the incoming AC current and feeds the vaccine refrigerators with a constant and stable DC output, even when the voltage rises or drops.

“Quality and reliability are paramount in vaccine cold chain. Our medical equipment store critical contents, both in terms of costs and lives. Our technological innovation will improve the safe storage and operating performance of vaccine refrigerators, where other units fail, by shielding them from the damage caused by voltage spikes. This will have a significant impact on the maintenance of vaccine cold chain, and the effectiveness of immunization campaigns”, concludes Luc Provost.

The new B Medical Systems’ vaccine refrigerators (TCW 40R AC, TCW 80 AC) meet the Performance, Quality and Security requirements of the World Health Organization, and are eligible for the CCEOP, Cold Chain Equipment Optimisation Platform. The respective PQS codes (E003/100 and E003/101) are available on the WHO website.