Cold Facts Digital – The go-to place for Cryogenics and Superconductivity

Scientists Shine a Laser Through a Human Head

The possible path of 50 photons sent through a human head from a laser [left, in red] to a detector [right, green]. Credit: Extreme Light group/University of Glasgow For the most part, anyone who wants to see what’s going on inside someone else’s brain has to make a trade-off when...

OPW Clean Energy Solutions Showcases Advanced Cryogenic Solutions at Gastech Milan 2025

OPW Clean Energy Solutions (OPWCES) will highlight its latest cryogenic innovations at Gastech 2025, taking place September 9–12 at Fiera Milano in Milan, Italy. Visitors can meet the OPW CES team at Booth #O31 to explore technologies designed to support the expanding hydrogen, LNG, and industrial gas markets. The company...

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) are launching a two-year initiative to design a next-generation radio telescope with capabilities far beyond existing observatories. Building on the success of the NSF’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), the proposed array—called the next-generation Very Large Array (ngVLA)—will feature over 200 antennas spanning the US desert southwest and northern Mexico. This facility aims to advance our understanding of planets, galaxies, black holes, and fundamental physics. Credit: Bill Saxton, NRAO/AUI/NSF

NSF National Radio Astronomy Observatory and RIX Industries Join Forces to Revolutionize Cryogenic Cooling for the ngVLA Project

by RIX Industries Communications Team In a groundbreaking collaboration that could change the landscape of both scientific discovery and cryogenic technology, the U.S. National Science Foundation’s National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) has teamed up with RIX Industries to develop cutting-edge cryogenic cooling solutions for the Next Generation Very Large...

A high precision accelerator cryomodule produced by Meyer Tool for use in a particle accelerator at Brookhaven National Lab. MTM’s fabrication expertise is trusted by national labs and quantum technology firms worldwide. Credit: Meyer Tool & Manufacturing, Inc.

Meyer Tool Builds the Impossible, Empowering Illinois Manufacturing

by Christian Cunningham, Meyer Tool & Manufacturing Inc. Meyer Tool & Manufacturing, Inc., a long-standing leader in cryogenic, pressure and vacuum technologies, has reached a major milestone in its growth journey. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) recently approved the company for participation in the Manufacturing Illinois...

Figure 1: An artist's rendering of the COSI satellite. Credit: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Goddard Goings

An insight into past, present and future cryogenic missions where the Cryogenics and Fluids Branch at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center had or has a significant role. by Mark Kimball, Ph.D., Cryogenics and Fluids Branch, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Readers of this column may recall last year’s recounting of...

The LOXSAT payload undergoes environmental control testing at the Kennedy Space Center’s EMI Lab in November 2024. Credit: Eta Space

Eta Space Progresses Cryogenic Fluid Management Technology in Space, Energy and Beyond

by Leah Sudhir, Eta Space Eta Space is at the forefront of cryogenic fluid management (CFM) technology for the aerospace industry, continuously pushing the boundaries of innovation and expanding its customer base. Founded by Dr. William “Bill” Notardonato, who brings over 30 years of experience from NASA, the company has...

Latest in Defining Cryogenics

Two-Phase Flows

Two-phase flows are those flows in which there is a mixture of two physical states (solid, liquid or vapor). In cryogenic applications, such flows are almost always a mixture of a cryogenic liquid along with its corresponding vapor. A mixture of liquid helium and helium vapor would be a typical...

Supercritical Fluids

A supercritical fluid is defined as a substance whose temperature and pressure exceed those of its critical point. Every pure substance has a critical point that is defined in thermodynamic space by a critical temperature and a corresponding critical pressure. For example, the critical point for helium has a critical...

Brayton Cycle

The Brayton cycle is one of the many thermodynamic cycles used to generate cooling at cryogenic temperatures. Strictly speaking, when referring to cooling we should call this the reverse Brayton cycle as the original Brayton cycle describes the process of power generation or propulsion via a gas turbine. In many...

Latest in Cryo Central

Air Separation and Liquefaction

by Nils Tellier, PE, President, EPSIM Corporation (CSA CSM) nils@epsim.us All illustrations courtesy EPSIM Corporation Background History of Air Separation and Liquefaction This section builds on a rich history of methods to develop deep refrigeration and cryogenic liquefaction during the 19th Century. You are encouraged to read Cryo Central’s History...

Bose-Einstein Condensate

A Bose-Einstein condensate, first proposed in 1925 by Albert Einstein based on work done by Satyendra Nath Bose (the same Bose from whom the term boson is derived), is a super-cold state of matter in which almost all of the individual atoms have “condensed” down to the lowest possible quantum...

Cold Technology for Pest Control

While it does not reach temperatures cold enough to be called cryogenic, carbon dioxide snow is at the heart of a new way of dealing with unwanted pests. It utilizes a quick freezing process that takes advantage of the properties of carbon dioxide snow and has a number of benefits...

Cryogenic Finishing

The following 3 articles discuss the uses and procedures of various type of cryogenic finishing. 1) By Robin A. Rhodes, Cryogenic Institute of New England, Inc. rrhodes@nitrofreeze.com Cryogenic Deflashing is employed to remove undesired residual mold flash that remains on molded parts after they are removed or ejected from the...

Latest in Ask the Experts

TS diagram for helium

Where can I obtain a really big, nice TS diagram for helium ?

Reliability and mounting of electronic substrates at low temperatures

I am currently working on the design of a focal plane assembly to be implemented on a small satellite (4 EMCCD detectors) to be operated at -80°C (which is not really cryogenic and likely still considered boiling hot for most of you :-). As it is passively cooled, the assembly...

Are 3D drawings included in the sale of a cryogenic plant?

I have a question concerning the 3D drawings of a cryogenic plant. The integration of the 3D drawings of a plant with the 3D main model of a new laboratory or a new facility can be a complex work that takes a lot of time. I would like to know...

Looking for a source of LOX impact testing to ASTM D2512

I have been looking for a source of LOX impact testing to ASTM D2512. I am aware of NASA and White Sands, but am looking for a commercial entity doing the work. No luck so far, even calling a lot of the folks on the CSA website. Any referrals will...

CATEGORIES