The oldest working semen tank we have was built in 1965 by Linde/Union Carbide (a design derived from the original Mercury space capsules!). It has an outer skin of stainless steel and inner shell of copper, takes 35 liters of nitrogen every month and weighs nearly 100 pounds when full. In the 1970s in order to make tanks for efficient farm use, aluminum outer skins were developed and attained hold times of eight weeks, but as they were more fragile that only had three year warranties. Some of you are still using these, approaching fifty years… The newest tanks with Teflon paint coatings and more sophisticated neck and top protections offer five year warranties, use half the nitrogen of their ancestral versions, and are capable of holding twice as long (18-20 weeks working times).
The risk of tank failure actually increases from high vacuums pumped between the inner shell and outer wall to make longer holding times. Transporting or knocking over modern tanks has more consequences than before, while the accumulation of moisture around and in them builds up the same risk of failure as always.
In earlier days AI systems offered insurance to protect against semen loss, as tank manufacturers only warranty the tank replacement, not any of your contents in use. The AI insurance programs died out decades ago, failing to satisfy insurers. But if you feel a need to insure against loss of semen (or embryos), ask your farm casualty agent for “scheduled inland marine” coverage; most offer it on request. We will continue to do our best to monitor your tanks’ nitrogen consumption.
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