There is no meaningful technical difference the terms are interchangeable. A 20 litre liquid nitrogen dewar, a cryogenic storage vessel, an LN2 vessel, a liquid nitrogen dewar for cell storage, and a vessel storage unit all refer to the same category of product: a vacuum-insulated container designed to hold liquid nitrogen at −196°C for the long-term preservation of biological samples.
The terminology varies by supplier, region, and context. In the UK, “storage vessel” is widely used in clinical and regulatory documentation. “Dewar” (named after James Dewar, the Scottish scientist who invented the vacuum flask) is more common in scientific and academic contexts. “LN2 vessel” is shorthand used by lab professionals. They all mean the same thing.
What does differ meaningfully is the specification within that category. A 20 litre liquid nitrogen dewar is a specific size compact, suitable for smaller labs, limited canister capacity. Compared to a 47-litre CryoCan or a 95-litre CryoNest XL, it offers less storage density and shorter hold times.
For IVF laboratories, the choice of vessel size matters significantly for workflow efficiency and LN2 consumption costs. A 20L dewar that needs refilling twice as often as a CryoCan 30-6 costs more in time and nitrogen over a year than the price difference between the vessels.
Browse the full liquid nitrogen storage vessel range including 20L options and larger capacity vessels at https://cryolab.co.uk/product-category/storage-vessels/
