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

SpaceX Launch System Redesigned, Ready for Testing

SpaceX indicates that a test vehicle for the company’s next-generation launch system could be ready for testing early in 2019. The test hopper will be powered by three of the company’s methane/liquid oxygen engines, units that were "radically redesigned" according to chief executive Elon Musk.

US Cryogenics Lab Critical for Pacific Operations

A US military base in Okinawa includes the only cryogenic facility for the US Air Force in Japan, producing and supplying the oxygen and nitrogen necessary to keep US aircraft in the sky. The unit, however, is also known for saving local lives and making ice cream.

Science Publication Recommends the Physics Books of 2018

Symmetry writer Mike Perricone presented readers with his annual compilation of popular science books related to particle physics and astrophysics. The list includes more than ten suggestions, including "Particle Physics Brick by Brick: Atomic and Subatomic Physics Explained...in LEGO," by Dr. Ben Still.

Linde Opens New Hydrogen Station in Germany

The Linde Group (CSA CSM) has opened another hydrogen station in Hanover, Germany. The company is using the next generation of its proprietary cryogenic pump, converting stored liquid hydrogen into a gaseous state compressed to 900 bar. There are currently 55 hydrogen filling stations in Germany, and 100 stations scheduled...

Scientists Enter Unexplored Territory in Superconductivity Search

Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory have been trying to understand key characteristics that cause superconductivity. They have used a combination of experimental techniques to plot points in a previously unmapped region of the "phase diagram” of BSCCO, a high-temperature superconductor.

Manufacturing in the Cradle of the Cryostat

Major cryogenic projects are underway in Hazira, India, where Larsen & Tourbo Ltd is wrapping up the cryostat system designed for the ITER project in France. The company began associated work in 2015, including segments for the ITER cryostat's base section, and is now finishing its contribution with the 490-ton...

Latest in Defining Cryogenics

Dewar

A dewar is a type of cryostat named after Sir James Dewar, the researcher who first developed the concept of a vacuum insulated container with silvered walls to reflect thermal radiation. Dewar was the first to liquefy hydrogen, and he created the device to store his discovery. The thermos bottle...

Stirling and Gifford-McMahon Cryocoolers

Stirling and Gifford-McMahon (GM) cryocoolers are two of the most commonly used cryocoolers in cryogenics. Both devices have a significant industrial base and operate at a wide range of temperatures and capacities. The thermodynamic cycles for both of these cryocoolers are quite similar. The Stirling cycle consists of a compressor,...

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)

A significant commercial application of cryogenics is the liquefaction, transport and storage of natural gas. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is generally 95 percent methane with a few percent ethane and much lower concentrations of propane and butane. LNG liquefies at 111.6 K. Unlike many applications of cryogenics, the motivation for...

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

Suppliers of regenerator materials

I was looking for suppliers of regenerator materials. Can you please provide a list of vendors for: • Lead spheres • Bronze screen discs • Rare earth materials and spheres Thank you in advance for any help you can provide.

Containing ice accumulation while recovering helium

We are implementing a system to recover helium from our Janis ST-500 continuous flow LHe cryostat. The recovery system uses standard 1/4″ plastic tubing, which we connect directly to the cryostat’s exhaust port. The problem with this setup is that the gas is still quite cold as it leaves the...

Looking for some advice regarding cryogenic modeling in ANSYS FEA software

I am looking for some advice regarding cryogenic modeling in ANSYS FEA software. I have been trying to use the Transient Thermal module, in workbench 14.5, to model the cooling of a device in a dilution fridge. I have approximate values for the cooling power of each plate in the...

Compensators and/or accumulators: Are they used in cryogenics?

Are compensators and/or accumulators, high or low pressure, used in cryogenics? Are they used in space?

CATEGORIES