When considering to buy a cryochamber there are many different points and requirements to take into consideration. In this article we take a look at the consumption of liquid nitrogen and efficiency of cryochambers and cryosaunas.
Apart from questions such as how much is a cryotherapy chamber, and other expenses for liquid nitrogen cryotherapy equipment, many centers will have to factor in the total cryotherapy cost for clients and consumables of running a cryo chamber.
With some cryotherapy chambers, the questions may be somewhat different as some may decide to take the path of an electric cryotherapy chamber (EEC). EEC’s do not use liquid nitrogen at all, yet ECC’s have their own shortfalls which we discuss in a separate article.
However, within standard cryogenic equipment there can be large differences between the claims made by manufacturers and actual consumption in these systems when used daily. Starting from direct liquid nitrogen feed chambers, liquid nitrogen based breathable air cryogenic chambers or large multiple person cryochambers.
For claims that focus on promoting extremely low consumption per minute, we encourage buyers to do their homework and ask the manufacturer for the real day to day numbers from a working cryocenter.
Claims that a certain cryochamber is the most efficient on the market and has the lowest consumption are seen very often. That’s why we would like to point out the main points to look at when moving ahead.
In fact, consumption of liquid nitrogen in a cryochamber depends on the following factors:
Type of System
(back to back sessions increase efficiency and lower consumption)
Direct liquid nitrogen feed chambers
Pressurized Systems – can consume from 3 to 11 liters per session
Non-pressurized systems – can consume from 3 to 5 liters per session
Thermal Contrast Cryotherapy – Mixed Heat/Cold – from 5 to 13 liters per session
Breathable air cryogenic chambers cooled with Liquid nitrogen
10 to 20 liters per session
Multiple person cryochambers – Liquid nitrogen
3 liters per minute after precool
Consumption of LN2 in multiple person cryochambers starts from 30 liters up to 100 liters including precool.
Multiple person cryochambers may require at least 20 visitors per day to be efficient and profitable.
Precooling requirements
Direct liquid nitrogen feed chambers
Most commonly seen consumption in the cryo market for a precooling session is between 3 – 10 liters
The CRYO XC™ consumes between 3 – 6 liters for precool.
Breathable air cryogenic chambers cooled with Liquid nitrogen
Preecool – 20 liters
Multiple person cryochambers
30 – 100 liters
Duration of a cryotherapy session
The duration of a cryo session has a direct impact on consumption. Some cryo chambers may only have very basic settings for duration and intensity on the machine that cannot be adjusted for the needs of a particular client. Shortest sessions start at 2 minutes up to 3,5 minutes, but the length of sessions may be extended by modes such as Thermal Contrast Cryotherapy.
Intensity of a session
Clients have different needs and expectations when it comes to the intensity of a cryotherapy session. That’s why it’s important to be able to adjust settings based on the clients’ wishes.
Most common temperature range:
-120°C to -150°C / -180°F -240°F
Running sessions at lower temperatures such as -120°C/-180°F will guarantee lower consumption at the expense of intensity.
Session Modes
(If applicable to the particular cryo equipment)
Low intensity
Intense Cryo Mode
Thermal Contrast Cryotherapy
Long Pause between sessions
Should be avoided as the mac
Can be minimized by organizing clients into time blocks for different services offered.
Client Schedules
Back to back sessions/Scheduling maximize efficiency and optimize consumption.
Drying Cycles
Drying is a part of maintenance and can contribute to prolonging the lifetime of a cryochamber. Drying cycles can play a big part in consumption of cryo machines, some cryochambers will require regular drying during work days. The CRYO XC™ requires drying only at the end of the work day.
Additional Cryotherapy Equipment Attributes
Length of Transfer Hose/Piping
Type of Transfer Hose – Armored Jacketed Transfer Hose
Vacuum Jacketed Transfer Hose (VCJ)
Pressure in the Nitrogen Tank/Pressurized Vessel/Dewar (Pressure can vary with different systems)
