Triventek’s main aim is to develop dry ice production machines for clients who don’t have the space or capacity to use other methods of refrigeration. The company has supplied dry ice production units to airlines for food cooling, pharmaceutical companies for transportation of biological samples, and the Danish fishing industry for coolants that can supplement their normal water-based systems. Their dry ice production machines often include recovery units, which recapture carbon dioxide and re-freeze it to be used again and again as dry ice. The systems are remarkably efficient, offering new ways to dramatically extend the life of the dry ice that their clients purchase. In areas where dry ice cannot be made available for extended periods of time – such as on long-haul flights, for example – a dry ice recovery unit is a practical and affordable solution in the long term. They are purchased separately and can be seamlessly integrated into production and pelletising units.

Triventek currently has three dry ice production machines that are commercially available. They are:

• The PE80 Dry Ice Pelletiser: This small, affordable unit makes dry ice more accessible through the client’s ability to order liquid carbon dioxide well in advance, and then transporting it to the job site with the PE80 dry ice pelletiser to produce exactly the amount of dry ice required. Over-ordering or under-ordering pre-made dry ice can be costly either way, making an investment in a pelletiser a very economical one for many businesses that often use dry ice in their operations. The PE80 produces up to 80 kilograms of dry ice per hour, forming it into 3mm pellets for use in a wide variety of applications. This machine can be fitted with a recovery unit to minimise wastage and recycle carbon dioxide very efficiently.
• The TRI-Former 500 is a three-stage dry ice production unit which also individually packages dry ice discs in branded foil. The hydraulic press forms dry ice pellets into discs, and a separate pelletiser can be attached to make the unit a complete dry ice production and packaging solution. The discs are then individually packed and sealed into food-grade foil strip packaging, which can be easily transported in sealed and insulated boxes to their ultimate destination. The TRI-Former 500 can produce up to 500 strokes per hour, making it a highly efficient production unit. The machine can be fitted with a recovery unit to further increase its efficiency.
• The Recovery Units are small to large machines that capture wasted carbon dioxide from carbon dioxide’s natural sublimation process, and cools it to a liquid again, making it viable to be re-used in the dry ice production process. While Triventek is one of the only companies that makes recovery units, their technology has been designed to be compatible with various manufacturers’ dry ice production and pelletising units. There are four types of recovery unit offered by Triventek:
  • The RE80, a smaller recovery unit that can be fitted to the PE80 Pelletiser, to maximise production efficiency with an integrated unit that does not have to be separately serviced;
  • The RE160, the larger version of the RE80, which has a higher capacity for carbon dioxide recovery and can also be fitted to pelletisers for high-volume dry ice production needs; and
  • Both the RE80 UNI and the RE160 UNI, which are modified versions of the previous two recovery units, which have been adapted to be compatible with other manufacturers’ pelletiser machines. They have specialised joining valves that have been demonstrated to attach to a number of other manufacturers’ units, since those brands do not produce recovery units of their own.

All of these recovery units have been specifically designed to cause minimal or no interference with the dry ice production and pelletising process. With Triventek’s global reach and footprint, the units can be serviced and spare parts can be delivered anywhere in the world in a relatively short space of time.

Over the years, Triventek has also produced several dry ice blasters, but only one is currently in production. The TRIBLAST-3 BL60 is a compact but powerful single-hose blasting unit. Various dry ice pellet sizes can be used with the TRIBLAST-3 BL60, from 1.6mm micro-pellets to 3mm standard sized ones. Its built-in storage container can hold up to 23kg of dry ice, with the variable blasting pressure allowing for blasting of 30-80kg of dry ice per hour. The holding container for the dry ice is insulated and sealed, minimising dry ice wastage as far as is possible. The TRIBLAST-3 BL60’s blasting gun can also be fitted with an LED light attachment for use in small, dark or inaccessible areas. Triventek’s blaster is not suitable for frequent heavy-duty blasting, but is rather preferable for factories and scenarios that only require occasional blasting. Since dry ice blasting is not Triventek’s central focus, larger blasters for heavier industrial applications are no longer produced by the company. Selected Triventek blasting machines are available in South Africa, and Dry Ice International can service and repair the machines locally, for your convenience.