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NASA Explorers: Apollo Audio Series Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11

Listen to people from all over the world recount their favorite Apollo memories or share their hopes for what’s yet to come in space exploration. In a new audio series, listeners will hear from a moon detective, scientists who study space rocks and people from all over the world whose...

Research Group Sets New Temperature Record For Superconductivity

An international team of scientists has built a superconductor that functions at 250 K, nearly 50 °C (84.6 °F) hotter than the previous record high for superconductivity—and it puts the “holy grail” of energy transmission almost within reach. In a study published in Nature, scientists describe their new material, lanthanum...

The Language of Physics, According to Symmetry

Luminosity, quintessence, damping, oh my! Word fans rejoice, Symmetry has published another list of 10 common words that take on a new meaning when spoken by scientists.

Altus Midstream Announces First Cryogenic Processing Train in Service at Texas Complex

Altus Midstream introduced the first of its three new cryogenic processing trains at the Diamond Cryo Complex in Alpine High TX. It is now processing rich natural gas and delivering natural gas liquids (NGLs) and residue gas for sale.

Department of Energy Announces $75 Million for High-Energy Physics Research

The US Department of Energy recently announced grants of $75 million in funding for 66 university research awards. The projects involve scientists at 51 US institutions of higher learning and include both experimental and theoretical research into topics like the Higgs boson, neutrinos, dark matter, dark energy and the search...

Blue Origin Test-Fires Moon Lander Engines

Blue Origin recently fired up a brand-new engine, the BE-7, which the company developed for its future moon lander. Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos claims the lander, equipped with the BE-7, will be capable of carrying robotic rovers to the moon or even a separate spacecraft that can take off...

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

Cryogenic Electronics

Randall Kirschman, consulting physicist, Mountain View, California ExtElect@gmail.com Cryogenic electronics—the operation of electronic devices, circuits, and systems at cryogenic temperatures—has been a valuable technology for decades. Cryogenic electronics (also referred to as low-temperature electronics, or cold electronics) can be based on semiconductive devices, on superconductive devices, or on a combination...

Particle Physics: High Energy Physics

Cryogenics and High-Energy Physics 1. From symmetry magazine: http://www.symmetrymagazine.org/cms/?pid=1000627: Cryogenics is the study of how materials behave at temperatures near absolute zero. In high-energy particle accelerators, such frigid temperatures reduce the electrical resistance of wires in superconducting magnets, increasing the magnet strength and allowing faster particle acceleration. The same holds...

HTS Degaussing Systems

From the Spring 2009 issue of Cold Facts (Volume 25, Number 2): Thanks to a joint project by the US Navy and a number of industry partners, high temperature superconducting (HTS) technology is now at the heart of an advanced degaussing system aboard the USS Higgins at the naval station...

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

From http://www.superconductors.org: An area where superconductors can perform a life-saving function is in the field of biomagnetism. Doctors need a non-invasive means of determining what’s going on inside the human body. By impinging a strong superconductor-derived magnetic field into the body, hydrogen atoms that exist in the body’s water 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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