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Study Sheds Light on the Peculiar ‘Normal’ Phase of High Temperature Superconductors

In a paper published in Science this month, a research team from the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University reported on an experiment that probed the normal state of superconductors more accurately than ever before, discovering an abrupt shift in the behavior of electrons in which...

First Magnet Installed for the ALPS II Experiment at DESY

The international Any Light Particle Search (ALPS) II collaboration installed the first of 24 superconducting magnets in mid-October, marking the start of the installation of a unique particle physics experiment to look for dark matter. Located at DESY, the German research center in Hamburg, it is set to start taking...

CERN Council Appoints Fabiola Gianotti to Second Term of Office as CERN Director General

At its 195th session, the CERN Council selected Fabiola Gianotti, the organization’s director-general, for her second term of office. The appointment will be formalized at the December session of the Council, and Gianotti’s new five-year term will begin on January 1, 2021. This is the first time in CERN’s history...

Cryomech Breaks Ground on New Manufacturing Facility

Cryomech, Inc. (CSA CSM) recently broke ground on their new 76,000-square foot manufacturing facility in DeWitt NY. The custom designed building will provide space for continued growth and innovation in the cryogenics industry. Cryomech also plans to grow staff in both manufacturing and administration. According to the current build schedule,...

Fermilab, International Partners Break Ground on New Beamline for the World’s Most Advanced Neutrino Experiment

On November 14, the US Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (CSA CSM) joined with its international partners to break ground on a new beamline that will help scientists learn more about ghostly particles called neutrinos. The beamline is part of the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF), which will house...

Magnet Doubles Hydrogen Yield from Water Splitting

Using nothing more than a $10 magnet, José Ramón Galán-Mascarós and his researchers at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) in Spain have doubled the hydrogen output of a water-splitting electrolyzer. If the approach can be scaled up, it has the potential to slash the costs of producing...

Latest in Defining Cryogenics

Dilution Refrigerators

Dilution refrigerators are a common technique for reaching temperatures below 1K, particularly where continuous cooling at these temperatures is required. Helium exists in two stable isotopes: 4He and 3He. Naturally occurring 3He is extremely rare, constituting less than 1 part per million of helium gas. However, 3He can be manufactured,...

Oxygen Deficiency Hazards

Oxygen Deficiency Hazards (ODH) are a significant safety issue in cryogenic facilities. ODH occurs when inert gases such as nitrogen, helium or argon displace room air and thus lower the percentage of oxygen in the space below that required for human life. OSHA defines an area as oxygen deficient if...

Kelvin Temperature Scale

The Kelvin temperature scale is the principal temperature scale used in cryogenics and science. The kelvin is also one of the seven base units in the Système International d’Unités (SI) and is the unit of thermodynamic temperature. Thermodynamic temperature is a fundamental physical quantity (like mass, length or electrical current)...

Latest in Cryo Central

Wind Tunnels

Dr. Robert Kilgore The development of the cryogenic wind tunnel is one of many significant breakthroughs in both cryogenics and wind-tunnel technology made during the past millennium. Interest in the development of high-speed commercial and military aircraft resulted in a review of problems of flow simulation in transonic wind tunnels...

History of Cryogenics

From the Fall 1999 issue of Cold Facts magazine Millennium Breakthroughs A variety of CSA members give different perspectives on the past millennium: What were the most significant breakthroughs in cryogenics during the past millennium? Prof. R.G. Scurlock, Kryos Technology, scurlock@soton.ac.uk (“Breakthrough” = way through obstacles — Oxford English Dictionary)...

Cryobiology

Andreas Sputtek Past President Society for Cryobiology sputtek@uke.uni-hamburg.de or http://www.sputtek.de/. The word cryobiology (from the Greek words “cryo” = cold, “bios” = life, and “logos” = science) literally signifies the science of life at low temperatures. In practice, this field comprises the study of any biological material or system (e.g.,...

Cryogenic Insulation

James E. Fesmire Cryogenics Test Laboratory NASA Kennedy Space Center james.e.fesmire@nasa.gov Introduction In today’s world, the use of cryogenics and low-temperature refrigeration is taking a more and more significant role. From the food industry, transportation, energy, and medical applications to the Space Shuttle, cryogenic liquids must be stored, handled, and...

Latest in Ask the Experts

An Issue of Pressure and Flow Rate in a Supply Tank

Please help solve this problem: A supply tank requires a vaporizer to generate sufficient pressure to pump stored fluid up into a vehicle or tank. The available head is limited as the tank level falls and it is important to minimize the system pressure drop to maintain the desired flow...

Using MLI on VJ Line Joints or Cryo Storage Tanks

When installing Multi Layer Insulation (MLI) blankets on VJ line joints or cryo storage tanks should they be wrapped and tied down tight or loose? These are usually pre-cut to size. Also should they have an access hole at the point of where the molecular sieve is installed to help...

Separated layers of ice over a pipe

I want to know that why there are different layers of ice over a pipe carrying a cryogenic fluid, each layer separated with clear marks / lines? What do these layers signify?

Using nitrogen as a cryogen

Is it possible to achieve -200˚C using nitrogen as a cryogen?

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