System and method for cooling which employs charged carbon dioxide snow

An apparatus for cooling matter, said apparatus employing carbon dioxide snow and vapor and comprising:

• a conduit for providing a flow of liquid carbon dioxide;
• aperture means coupled to said conduit for subjecting said liquid carbon dioxide to a pressure expansion to create a flow of carbon dioxide snow particles;
• a conductive conduit for receiving said flow of carbon dioxide snow particles and imparting thereto a charge as a result of physical engagement between said carbon dioxide snow particles with a surface of said conductive conduit;
• conductive means for manifesting a reference potential state that is attractive to said carbon dioxide snow particles that have been charged;
• and
• means for supporting said matter in juxtaposition to said conductive means so as to enable attraction of said charged carbon dioxide snow particles to said matter.

An apparatus for cooling matter, said apparatus employing carbon dioxide snow and vapor and comprising:

• an inlet for providing a flow of high pressure liquid carbon dioxide;
• a conductive conduit defining a region of intermediate pressure;
• an expansion member having many fine channels, coupled between said inlet and said conductive conduit, for enabling said liquid carbon dioxide to experience a pressure expansion in said fine channels so as to create a flow of carbon dioxide snow particles within said conductive conduit, flow of said carbon dioxide snow particles in said conductive conduit causing a charge to be imparted thereto as a result of physical engagement between said carbon dioxide snow particles with a surface of said conductive conduit;
• and
• at least one orifice at a terminal end of said conduit for enabling a second expansion of said flow of snow particles from said region of intermediate pressure to a region of atmospheric pressure.