RealCooL: rapid thermal control of liquids

Problem statement

Current technologies to heat or cool liquids, such as water baths to rewarm or pasteurize human milk, suffer from slow heating times and inability to control temperature accurately. There is a need for a device that is faster, more accurate, and safer for babies and caregivers to use.

Solution

RealCooL was developed by engineers at The University of Texas at Austin and uses a parallel plate heat exchanger to heat milk quickly and accurately to a desired user-specified temperature.  Prototype results demonstrate that 240 mL of milk can be heated from refrigerator to serving temperatures (5℃ to 37℃) in just 24 seconds. The user inputs the desired temperature and then a pump circulates the milk through the heat exchanger and back to the bottle, providing uniform heating and preventing hot spots which can burn a child. Thermocouple sensors placed at strategic points in the system provide a feedback signal to the closed-loop controller. Options such as desired heating and cooling rates and a cleaning cycle can be selected. This device can be used to warm or cool any liquid, including milk, coffee, tea, wine, water, blood, and IV drugs.

Key aspects of RealCooL

• Rapid heating of liquids: A 240 mL bottle of refrigerated milk can be heated from 5℃ to 37℃ in 24 seconds.
• Rapid cooling of liquids: A 750 mL volume of wine can be chilled from 20℃ to 10℃ in 55 seconds.
• Various volume capacities: The device can accommodate any size container from a standard 240 mL baby bottle up to a standard 750 mL wine bottle
• Sanitization temperature: RealCooL can run a sanitation cycle between liquids where water is circulated through the device at 72℃, following the National Sanitation Foundation guidelines for residential dishwasher sanitation.
• Small footprint: The device can fit on a standard countertop, comparable in size to a home coffee maker.
• Low manufacturing cost: Bill of Materials (BOM) for current prototype around $100.

Stage of development

The RealCooL device has received funding through the NSF I-Corps program and the UT Austin Texas Proof of Concept Award.  RealCooL has been designed, prototyped, and tested resulting in two conference proceedings and one PCT patent application.  The team is currently working on the third iteration of the prototype and plans to submit an NIH R21 (June 2024) in hopes of further exploring application of RealCooL for preservation of human milk. Additionally, the team desires to explore new applications of this platform technology such as preservation and delivery of human blood and IV drugs.