Case Study: How RIGID’s Micro Water Chiller Helped Transform Scalp Cooling for Chemotherapy Patients
Hair loss (alopecia) remains one of the most distressing and visible side effects of chemotherapy. Scalp cooling, also known as scalp hypothermia, has emerged as a clinically validated solution to significantly reduce hair loss by limiting the amount of chemotherapy drugs that reach hair follicles. By lowering scalp temperature, cellular activity slows and vasoconstriction occurs—making hair follicles less vulnerable during treatment. Clinical data shows scalp cooling can achieve up to 90% effectiveness in preventing alopecia when cooling is maintained before, during, and after infusion.
Traditional gel-based cold caps can help but pose major limitations. They warm quickly, require frequent replacements, lack precise temperature control, and create extra workload for clinical staff. Failure to maintain consistent low temperatures is one of the leading reasons gel-cap systems fall short.
Active cooling systems based on vapor-compression technology solve these issues by delivering accurate, continuous temperature control. However, older systems were bulky, stationary console units that restricted patient mobility and required six to eight hours of chair time—limiting clinic throughput and patient comfort.
A small, portable, high-performance cooling unit with precise control is the key to making scalp cooling a standard part of modern chemotherapy care.
The Challenge
Gel Caps Weren’t Good Enough
Frozen gel caps warm up quickly and require constant swapping. Keeping them at the right temperature is nearly impossible, and this inconsistency is one of the biggest reasons alopecia prevention fails.
Existing Cooling Consoles Were Too Big
Traditional scalp cooling machines use vapor-compression cooling, but they’re large, heavy, and stationary. Patients must remain seated for long hours—not just for infusion, but for pre-cooling and several hours of post-cooling. This also limits how many people a clinic can treat in a day.
Portability Was Essential
To truly change the market, the cooling system had to be:
- Small
- Lightweight
- Long-running
- Battery-operated
- Powerful enough for all stages of chemotherapy
Finding a system that checked all those boxes was the biggest challenge.
Reliability Matters in Healthcare
Medical environments demand consistency. The system needed to run continuously, tolerate different power sources, and perform flawlessly in real-world conditions—including use in vehicles or during patient transport.
48V Micro Water Chiller, DV3830E-P-T-H for cold caps chemotherapy
The Client Profile
A U.S.-based company specializing in hot & cold compression systems for injury recovery, athletic rehabilitation, and post-surgery therapy.
The client required a lightweight, mobile water chiller that could deliver:
- Precise hot & cold temperature control
- Continuous duty reliability
- Low noise for patient comfort
- Small footprint to fit inside a portable therapy unit
- Fast integration into their existing system
Their existing cooling solution was too bulky, inefficient, and unstable for clinical-grade performance.
RIGID Solution
RIGID supplied a custom, ultra-compact micro water chiller designed specifically for portable medical applications. It delivered the exact combination of size, cooling performance, and energy efficiency needed to power a next-generation scalp cooling device.
RIGID engineered a Micro Water Chiller (DV3830E-P-T-H) featuring:
- Compact BLDC refrigeration system
- Wide-temperature performance curve (rapid chill & stable warm cycles)
- Built-in controller & speed modulation
- Plug-and-play integration
- Medical-grade reliability and safety
This customized solution ensures consistent therapeutic temperatures, enabling improved patient outcomes and system durability.
48V Micro Water Chiller, DV3830E-P-T-H for cold caps chemotherapy
48V Micro Water Chiller, DV3830E-P-T-H Cooling & Heating Drawing.png
Results
- 35% smaller footprint vs. prior unit
- Stable continuous operation from hot to cold cycles
- Reduced energy consumption
- Faster time-to-market with OEM customization support
Advantages
- Small Footprint, Light Weight
Less than 7 pounds and compact enough to fit into handheld or portable medical systems. - Precise Temperature Stability
Maintains tightly controlled coolant temperatures for hours—essential for chemotherapy hair preservation. - High Efficiency, Low Power Draw
Uses BLDC compressor technology that is up to 3× more efficient than thermoelectric (TEC) coolers, allowing long use on battery power. - Quiet, Reliable, and Built for Medical Use
Designed for long duty cycles, low vibration, and dependable operation. - Customizable for OEM Needs
Flow rates, mounting styles, and integration options can be tailored to each device design.
Features
✔ Consistent Cooling, Every Time
The micro chiller delivers steady cooling throughout pre-cooling, infusion, and post-cooling - one of the most important factors in preventing hair loss.
✔ True Portability for Patients
Instead of being tethered to a big machine, patients can now move around comfortably during treatment.
✔ Better Experience for Clinics
No more constant swapping of frozen caps, no bulky machines occupying floor space, and no long wait times in treatment chairs.
✔ Longer Battery Runtime
Low power consumption means longer operation without recharging—a major advantage over TEC-based systems.
✔ Designed for Real-World, Everyday Use
The system handles variable power inputs and rugged conditions without failure, making it practical for home, clinic, or travel.
Why the Client Chose RIGID?
- Expertise in miniature DC compressors
- Proven track record with medical OEMs
- Rapid customization & engineering support
- Durable, long-life refrigeration solutions
48V Micro Water Chiller, DV3830E-P-T-H Cooling & Heating Performance Curve.
Testimonials from Medical Device Partners
The client, a pioneer in cold-cap technology backed by decades of neuro-hypothermia research, recognized the need for compact, dependable active cooling to support chemotherapy patients. Initially developing systems based on re-freezable gel packs, they soon realized that true clinical performance demanded active thermal management.
“We spent about a year researching compact refrigeration sources—and fortunately, we found RIGID Cooling Systems.”
RIGID supplied its Compact Liquid Chiller Modules, engineered for medical use where stability, mobility, and reliability are critical. These micro chillers demonstrated exceptional temperature precision in a lightweight, portable design—exactly what the client needed for extended chemo sessions and patient mobility.
The client’s President added:
“Knowing we were getting technology that was military-hardened gave us the confidence that the reliability would match our clinical application.”
RIGID’s experience in medical and defense cooling applications, paired with its responsive engineering support, helped the client bring a new generation of portable, clinically reliable cold-cap devices to the oncology market.
Together, the partnership is transforming the chemotherapy experience, helping patients preserve their hair, maintain privacy, and regain a sense of control during treatment.
micro water chiller; scalp cooling system; chemotherapy hair loss prevention; chemo cold cap cooling; portable medical chiller; miniature cooling system; active cooling for chemotherapy; medical cooling technology.