A method for air blasting freshly formed ice particles toward a substrate to perform work on the substrate surface is provided. The method comprises: forming fresh ice particles of a desired particle sizing and at a desired mass flow rate; immediately drawing downwardly the freshly formed ice particles at the mass flow rate directly into a proximal end of a transport hose (18) of reduced pressure; developing the reduced pressure in the hose (18) by introducing blast air at a first volumetric flow rate to a blast nozzle (14) which develops a sufficient velocity at the blast nozzle (14) located at a distal end (15) of the hose to blast the freshly formed ice particles at the mass flow rate towards the substrate surface to perform work on the surface; and introducing into the proximal end (17) of the hose (18) a cool stream of air at a second volumetric flow rate to cool the fresh ice particles as such particles flow along the hose (18) towards the nozzle (14), the second volumetric flow rate of refrigerated air (54) being determined by the reduced pressure in the hose (18).

A self-cooling fluid container (10) includes a fluid chamber (12) for containing the fluid-to-be-cooled. A refrigerant chamber is affixed to the base (13) of the fluid chamber (12) and extends at least partially into the fluid chamber (12). The interior region of the refrigerant chamber (30) is fluidicly isolated from and thermally coupled to the interior region of the fluid chamber (12). A refrigerant dispersal assembly defines a vented dispersal region including a portion adjacent to the refrigerant chamber (30) and separated from the interior of that chamber by a perforatable wall. A cooling activator is adapted to selectively form a fluidic path from the interior of the refrigerant chamber (30) to the dispersal region through the perforatable wall (32), permitting release and expansion of the pressurized refrigerant.