Experimental study on a cryosurgery apparatus

Abstract

Cryosurgery is an effective way of curing many diseases including tumors and cancers. It can be applied using a variety of systems and cryogens. Cheap, convenient, reliable equipment still needs to be developed so that cryotherapy may be accepted by surgeons and hospitals. This paper presents a cryosurgery apparatus that utilizes an auto-cascade refrigeration system. Refrigerant mixture R50/R23/R600a was selected as the working fluid. The mixture composition was altered to achieve lower temperatures and higher capacity. The lowest temperature at the cryoprobe could be as low as −100 °C, and 8 W refrigeration capacity could be obtained at −80 °C. An ice ball of 11.6 mm diameter could be formed when the cryoprobe was immersed in a water bath at 37 °C.