Dry ice is actually frozen carbon dioxide, which is the gas you exhale. It is both colder and denser than traditional ice. Additionally, dry ice will not melt; instead, it sublimates. This means that the ice goes directly from the solid form to a gas, which completely bypasses the liquid form altogether. This is how it received the name “dry ice.”
Creation of Dry Ice
The first step for the creation process of the dry ice is to convert carbon dioxide gas into a liquid form. This is actually done by the compression of the CO2, which removes any excess heat. Once this is done, the pressure is reduced by sending it through a type of expansion valve. Part of this liquid will sublimate, and then, the remainder will become frozen into a type of snow flake. When these snow flakes are compacted together, large blocks will be formed that are much heavier than traditional ice and weigh close to a standard brick.
Uses for Dry Ice
Dry ice has a number of different uses, and you can easily buy dry ice in NYC for any need you may have. Since dry ice removes nearly double the amount of heat per pound as traditional ice and changes directly from a solid to a gas, there is no clean up necessary.
These features make dry ice particularly useful for things such as packaging, transport of items and food preparation. When heat buildup is prevented, it will protect food from salmonella growth. Dry ice also works to prevent buildup of moisture in mixing as well as water weight reduction of a product during shipment. Additionally, dry ice is an inert carbon dioxide gas that provides a great preservative and will inhibit a number of different types of bacteria.
Dry ice has other uses as well including flash freezing, absorbing ammonia, creating a fog for entertainment purposes, pharmaceutical packing and refrigeration leaks. If you are interested in getting dry ice, consider services that allow you to buy dry ice in NYC. This will ensure that you get what you need when you need it.