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Technifab Hoses
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Designing Cryogenic Piping Systems for the Demands of Modern Life Science Labs

As life science facilities become more advanced and specialized, the infrastructure behind them must evolve to meet increasing demands for efficiency, precision, and cost-effectiveness. Technifab Products, Inc., in partnership with CryoWorks, is leading the way in cryogenic piping solutions for the biotech, pharmaceutical, and research sectors—supporting applications ranging from cryosurgery...
July 9, 2025
Quantum Design
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Quantum Design Signs Agreement to Acquire NanoScience Division ofOxford Instruments

Quantum Design, a leading developer of cryogenic measurement systems based in San Diego, California, has announced a definitive agreement to acquire the NanoScience Division of Oxford Instruments. Located in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, NanoScience is a global innovator in ultra-low-temperature cryogenic instrumentation. The acquisition, expected to close by the end of...
July 9, 2025
A Soyuz rocket launches to the International Space Station with Expedition 73 crew members including NASA astronaut Jonny Kim on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Photo ©NASA/Joel Kowsky
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Stainless VJP Enable Cryogenic Liquid Supply Chains in Space and on Earth

A Soyuz rocket launches to the International Space Station with Expedition 73 crew members including NASA astronaut Jonny Kim on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Photo ©NASA/Joel Kowsky What do space exploration and the Hydrogen Economy have in common? A need to transport large volumes...
July 9, 2025
News

Google and Commonwealth Fusion Systems Sign Strategic Partnership

Credit: Commonwealth Fusion Systems Google and Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) today announced a new global milestone, a bold partnership to develop, deploy and scale clean, secure fusion power. Google signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) for 200 megawatts (MW) of electricity from CFS’ inaugural ARC power plant, which CFS expects...
June 30, 2025
Image source: Taihan/SuperNode
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Korean Cable Corp Signs Deal Next-Gen Superconductors

Image source: Taihan/SuperNodeA leading Korean cable company has signed a deal with an Irish firm to develop “next-generation” superconducting cables for the offshore wind industry. Taihan will work with Dublin-based SuperNode on the design and roll out of polymer-based transmission cables which promise to “significantly” enhance efficiency and simplify installation...
June 24, 2025
Modifying gas chromatography systems with cryogenic technologies Subscribe for newsletter updates Researchers at Monash University in Clayton, Australia, have developed a new 3D-printed device for gas chromatography (GC), demonstrating its effectiveness in carrying out multidimensional and enantioselective separations. GC has long been central to chemical analysis, particularly for mixtures of volatile compounds. However, its resolution can be insufficient for separating complex mixtures. Scientists have addressed this limitation with techniques such as multidimensional gas chromatography (MDGC) and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC), which both require modulation devices. Thermal modulators, among the earliest developed, remain widely used. In this study, the researchers designed a stainless steel 3D-printed device to function as a cold trapping assembly when cooled with liquid CO₂. Its operational principle mirrors that of a longitudinally modulated cryogenic system (LMCS). Cryogenic technologies have precedent in chromatography, offering the capacity to remobilise trapped components, thereby enabling new analytical approaches. When integrated with GC, such devices allow analysts to apply advanced separation techniques. The team detailed the enclosure design and assessed its performance for collecting and rapidly remobilising volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Modulation period precision was evaluated, yielding a maximum error of 8 microseconds and an average variation of less than 1 nanosecond across 10,000 successive modulations. Using a C5–C9 alkane series, the system was shown to effectively trap analytes, with peaks achieving a full width at half height (FWHH) as low as 65 milliseconds. The maximum trapping time was determined using hexane, with the modulator retaining the compound for up to 9 seconds at 100 °C before breakthroughs occurred. The system was also used to investigate the enantioselective separation of limonene, a compound derived from citrus peel oils. Although only one chiral column was used, different column lengths (ranging from 20 cm to 5.0 m) were drawn through the modulator. These effectively acted as enantioselective second-dimension (2D) columns. Injected (R,S)-limonene enantiomers were collected simultaneously and then rapidly transferred to the 2D column. The 3D-printed modulator successfully trapped hexane, enabling modulation periods of up to 8 seconds. This was achieved at oven temperatures of up to 100 °C. While higher temperatures were not tested, the researchers suggest that hexane modulation beyond this point is likely feasible. Ultimately, the study demonstrated the feasibility of comprehensive two-dimensional GC using 3D-printed modulators with a tea tree oil sample. Although 2D retention times exceeded optimal limits for GC × GC under the conditions tested, the authors propose that further refinement of columns and methods could yield improved separation.
News

Modifying Gas Chromatography Systems with Cryogenic Technologies

Clayton Campus, Melbourne, Victoria. Credit: Montash University, Australia Researchers at Monash University in Clayton, Australia, have developed a new 3D-printed device for gas chromatography (GC), demonstrating its effectiveness in carrying out multidimensional and enantioselective separations. GC has long been central to chemical analysis, particularly for mixtures of volatile compounds. However,...
June 24, 2025

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Latest in Defining Cryogenics
Defining Cryogenics

Space Cryogenics

Space cryogenics is, somewhat obviously, the application of cryogenics to space exploration and science. The use of cryogenics in space optimizes the launching of vehicles, provides power and life support to spacecraft and is critical for many scientific observations.Space cryogenics has a number of challenges and has driven both pure...
April 27, 2017
Defining Cryogenics

Exergy

The science of thermodynamics plays a major role in cryogenics. It underlies the various refrigeration cycles, from Carnot to Brayton (Cold Facts Vol. 32 No. 2) and Joule-Thomson, is a fundamental part of the definition of terms such as coefficient of performance (Cold Facts Vol. 31 No. 1) and even...
March 7, 2017
Defining Cryogenics

Cryogenic Treatment

Cryogenic treatment is the process of cooling materials to cryogenic temperatures temporarily to improve their material properties at room temperature. This is distinct from cooling materials down to cryogenic temperatures to take advantage of phenomena such as superconductivity that only occur at cryogenic temperatures. Cryogenic treatment, sometimes also referred to...
November 2, 2016
Latest in Cryo Central
Cryo Central

Food Processing

Cryogenics and Food The industrial gas industry provides a host of products and services related to food. The various gases have useful and sometimes fascinating applications in food industry. “The food industry is not a homogenous industry. The needs of customers processing hamburger vs. poultry vs. strawberries vs. seafood, for...
April 18, 2008
Cryo Central

Primary Standards

Elie K. Track Hypres, Inc. elie@hypres.com http://www.hypres.com/ Primary standards involve the exact definition and realization of units of measurement for various quantities, time, length, mass, voltage, resistance, current, etc. International agreements based on the latest scientific knowledge define those units, and their realizations vary depending on the unit itself. For...
April 18, 2008
Cryo Central

Shrink Fitting

Robin A. Rhodes Cryogenic Institute of New England, Inc. rrhodes@nitrofreeze.com Shrink fitting, (or “compression fitting” as it is sometimes called), is a method used to insert a pin or bushing into a housing or other assembly requiring an extremely tight tolerance fit. It can be used as an alternative to...
April 18, 2008
Cryo Central

Telecommunications

From the Winter 2004 issue of Cold Facts magazine The recent M-Calc IV — 4th Industry Assessment workshop discussing military and commercial applications for low-cost cryocoolers, held in November in San Diego, highlighted progress being made in cryogenics as applied in telecommunications. The reliability and long lifetime of projects now...
April 18, 2008
Latest in Ask the Experts
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...
April 20, 2018
Ask the Experts

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...
April 20, 2018