X-Message-Number: 1943
Date: 11 Mar 93 23:39:34 EST
From: Charles Platt <>
Subject: CRYONICS Room Insulation

To: Cryonet


March 11, 1993


To Brian Wowk:

Seems to me there is one little practical factor which you 
omitted from your otherwise very elegant formula re heat 
insulation: the cost per square foot per year of floor space. 
Foam insulation six feet thick, around the walls of a cold 
room that is (say) ten feet square, is going to occupy 312 
square feet, assuming the corners are bevelled off at 45-
degree angles. Here in New York City, we consider $10 per 
square foot per year to be low cost for commercial space. I 
realize New York rates are high relative to other parts of 
the country, but obviously square footage always does cost 
something, and the cost may not be negligible relative to the 
cost of liquid nitrogen. It might be cheaper to conserve some 
space and use some more liquid nitrogen instead. 

My math/physics is so ancient and unused, I'm unqualified to 
comment on the more technical aspects. It does seem to me, 
though, that Ralph Merkle has a point, which can be 
summarized as follows: 

1. We DO NOT yet know how to freeze someone without causing 
damage on the cellular level. 

2. Therefore nanotechnology will DEFINITELY be required to 
revive any patients frozen with current techniques. 

3. Nanotechnology would have an easier job fixing big 
fractures than little cells. 

4. Therefore we should devote limited resources to devising 
better ways of protecting cells before even thinking about 
different preservation systems which may eliminate cracking 
but will take time and money to devise and build. 

Am I missing something obvious, here? 

--Charles Platt 

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=1943