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A related issue and perhaps useful information ... We have had a couple of times with dry shippers when crystal surface icing has been a problem. We wondered if the shipper had been opened on route or air pressure differences had allowed moist air to enter when the aircraft landed. Most of our experiments are now robotic so we don't get a chance to examine the shippers at the other end. Washing crystals in liquid nitrogen at the beamline removes most of the problems but it is an extra step that eats into data collection time. To try and get round this we found that it is possible to ship dry shippers wet, at least within the US, and it is not significantly more expensive. I talked to FedEx and have now taken an online FedEx Ground course (for $150) on HazMat shipping. FedEx asks you to fill out a little more paperwork (three forms), notifies your local office and then you can ship quite easily (in theory). We are just about to try our first example. Course details are at https://prosperitylms.com/req/fedex_student/ After talking to an agent at our local FedEx he recommended putting a label on the top of the dewar inside the shipping box saying something to the effect that of "Dewar contains sample at cryogenic temperature - do not open". They are more used to shipping samples for livestock breeding than crystals and this makes the contents "less interesting" - quoting directly. Our local office gets 30-40 of these a day and crystal samples only about twice a month. Liquid nitrogen can also be shipped by air in a dry shipper. SSRL routinely ships dry shipper back wet. To do this through FedEx requires a longer training course, 3 days for $650, with details at: http://www.fedex.com/us/services/options/express/dangerousgoods/seminars .htm (and more paperwork). Basically FedEx need a trained name who has verified the material (Nitrogen, refrigerated liquid, Nonflamable, UN1977, HazMat class 2.2, ERG no 120). If the ground shipment with liquid is sufficiently better than the equivalent dry shipper by air we will have someone take this course. A quick and dirty comparison of ground versus air for dry-shippers showed little difference in icing but a lot of difference in worrying where the truck was for a few days. You may already have someone in your shipping and receiving department able to do this - the courses are general courses for HazMat/Dangerous goods shipping not just liquid nitrogen. I'd be interested in hearing if anyone has had experience with shipping samples in liquid N2 compared with dry shippers? Is it worth the extra effort beyond simply preventing surface icing? Cheers, Eddie Edward Snell Ph.D. Assistant Prof. Department of Structural Biology, SUNY Buffalo, Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute 700 Ellicott Street, Buffalo, NY 14203-1102 Phone: (716) 898 8631 Fax: (716) 898 8660 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Telepathy: 42.2 GHz Heisenberg was probably here!
