ASHRAE Journal - February 2022 - 12

TECHNICAL FEATURE
Transporting and Storing
COVID-19 Vaccines
BY YUNHO HWANG, PH.D., FELLOW ASHRAE; BEN GREENFIELD; BRUCE KRANZ; BRIAN HOAGLAN, ASSOCIATE MEMBER ASHRAE; CHRIS REPICE, MEMBER ASHRAE; IGOR VAISMAN, PH.D.,
P.ENG., MEMBER ASHRAE; JÜRGEN OLIVER; KASHIF NAWAZ, PH.D., MEMBER ASHRAE; STEFAN ELBEL, PH.D., MEMBER ASHRAE
Differing storage temperature requirements are not the only concern for COVID-19
vaccines. The entire vaccination process-from the original manufacturing to fi nal
vaccine administration-involves various refrigerated transportation and storage
systems. This article describes various vaccine refrigerated transportation and storage
technologies and systems recommendations for the general public and vaccine transport-related
professionals.
The article is a product of the ASHRAE Refrigeration
Technology Committee for Comfort, Process, and Cold
Chain, which formed a group in February 2021 to provide
" practical guidance for COVID-19 vaccine refrigerated
transportation and storage " to assist stakeholders
in the vaccine distribution process from the equipment
point of view.
General Recommendations
The CDC has produced a Vaccine Storage and
Handling Toolkit,1 which provides general recommendations
from " minimal actions " to " best practices " for
the various steps of the immunization supply chain.
Table 1 provides the summary of the general temperature
classes and common systems used in vaccine
transportation and storage. The range of suitable and
purpose-built products essentially spans three distinct
temperature bands commonly associated with specifi c
vaccines: medium-temperature refrigeration (2°C to
8°C [35.6°F to 46.4°F]), low-temperature refrigeration
(-50°C to -15°C [-58°F to 5°F]), and ultralow-temperature
refrigeration (-80°C to -60°C [-112°F to -76°F]).
Vaccines typically also require storage at different
temperatures during the different stages of their
transportation and handling (although refreezing is
strictly prohibited in most instances) and do not usually
remain within only one of the temperature bands.
Products used for vaccine transportation and storage
should, therefore, be both suitable and purpose-built to
a pharmaceutical grade. Some of the products listed in
Yunho Hwang, Ph.D. is a research professor and co-director of the Center for Environmental Energy Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park, Md. Ben Greenfi eld is a
director of marketing and business development for Helmer Scientifi c. Bruce Kranz is an engineering director for Thermo King Americas. Brian Hoaglan is a low temperature products
R&D manager for Helmer Scientifi c. Chris Repice is an engineering fellow for Carrier Corporation. Igor Vaismanis, Ph.D., P.Eng., is a fellow of innovations in thermal management
and vapor cycle technologies at Booz Allen Hamilton. Jürgen Olivier is a mechanical engineer at HC Heat Exchangers PTY. Kashif Nawaz, Ph.D., is a senior research scientist
at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Stefan Elbel, Ph.D., is a research assistant professor and associate director, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Center at University of Illinois,
Urbana-Champaign, Ill.
This peer-reviewed article does not represent offi cial ASHRAE guidance. For more information on ASHRAE resources on COVID-19, visit ashrae.org/COVID19.
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ASHRAE Journal - February 2022

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