Portable Desert Cryocooler for Biohazard Specimens

For my senior capstone project, my team designed an ATV mounted device to cool contaminated blood samples collected in the desert. I modeled and simulated a custom composite thermal capacitor to safely cool a sample to -25°C in 10 mins. Long-term cooling was achieved with peltier cells plus vacuum insulation to combat harsh desert conditions. I created a prototype at 1/10 the price, and we reached -23°C in 20 mins. We won the capstone award for “Best Overall Thermal Design Project”.