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HyPStore project team at the University of Southern Queensland. Credit: HyPStore

HyPStore’s Cryogenics-at-the-Core Vision for Liquid Hydrogen Storage

As global industries push toward decarbonization, hydrogen has re-emerged as a promising energy carrier. From aviation to long-haul trucking, hydrogen offers a zero-carbon fuel alternative that could reshape mobility. But unlocking its full potential depends on solving one of its biggest hurdles: storage. Hydrogen is challenging to contain, particularly in...
Cold Facts Antarctica

Techno-Economics of Liquid Hydrogen Supply for Australian Antarctic Operations

Antarctic research productivity relies on consistent access to energy. Increased availability of cheaper and cleaner energy could enhance the research capacity at Antarctic stations and expand the frequency of research flights using aircraft such as the Basler BT-67 (a modified DC3) to map climate change impacts on glaciers. The Australian...

Meet the 2025 Young Professionals

Qian Bao, 37 What is your educational and professional background? I completed my undergraduate studies in Mechanical Engineering at Shanghai Jiaotong University, China. Following that, I earned my Master’s degree from Tohoku University in Japan, where my research focused on computational fluid dynamics simulations involving two-phase flow. Specifically, I worked...

Superconductivity Mystery: Scientists Challenge a 50-Year Theory of Electron Behavior

A recent study found that the Hubbard model failed to accurately predict the behavior of a simplified one-dimensional cuprate system. According to scientists at SLAC, this suggests the model is unlikely to fully account for high-temperature superconductivity in two-dimensional cuprates. Superconductivity—the ability of materials to conduct electricity without energy loss—holds...

IBM to Invest $150 Billion in U.S. Over Next Five Years to Aid Quantum Push

IBM has announced plans to invest $150 billion in the United States over the next five years, marking one of the most significant commitments by a major tech company to bolster American manufacturing and emerging technologies. A substantial portion of this investment, over $30 billion, will be directed specifically toward...

Quantum Computing’s Breakthrough Moment in Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals

The National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) has released its first Insights Paper, offering a powerful look at how quantum computing could reshape healthcare and pharmaceuticals. Developed through extensive engagement with industry leaders, researchers, and policymakers, the paper delivers clear, actionable insights for healthcare executives, pharmaceutical innovators, policymakers, and funders. The...

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Refrigerators and Liquefiers

Two of the most common terms used in cryogenics are “refrigerator” and “liquefier.” These terms describe similar and, as will be seen, in some cases identical components. A refrigerator provides cooling (that is, absorbs heat) at cryogenic temperatures. Refrigerators typically put a working fluid (such as helium) through one of...

Air Separation

Air separation is one of the largest, as well as earliest, industrial applications of cryogenics. In this process, cryogenic temperatures are used to separate air into its constituent gases: nitrogen (78.08%), oxygen (20.95%), argon (0.93%) and carbon dioxide (0.3%). Trace gases such as krypton, neon, xenon and helium total far...

Coefficient of Performance and Figure of Merit

The coefficient of performance (COP) is used to describe the effectiveness of refrigerators, including those operating at cryogenic temperatures. The COP is defined as the amount of heat removed at the cryogenic operating temperature of the refrigerator divided by the amount of work that must be applied to remove the...

Magnets

From “Superconductivity: Present and Future Applications” by the Coalition for the Commercial Application of Superconductors. Particle physics uses accelerators to recreate the conditions of the early universe in an attempt to piece together the complex puzzle of how we got to where we are today. These huge machines are used...

Energy Storage

From “Superconductivity: Present and Future Applications” by the Coalition for the Commercial Application of Superconductors. With power lines increasingly congested and prone to instability, strategic injection of brief bursts of real power can play a crucial role in maintaining grid reliability. Small-scale Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) systems, based on...

Astronomy

ASTRONOMY IN SPACE by Peter V. Mason, retired,  Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Visiting Associate, California Institute of Technology. Pmason@alumni.caltech.edu In thinking about the reasons to perform astronomy in space, we first consider the effect of the earth’s atmosphere.  On a scale of decreasing energy, gamma rays, cosmic rays, X-rays and...

Cryocoolers

What is a Cryocooler? A mechanism that can extract heat from an object (cooler) and by doing so draw its temperature down below approximately 150 Kelvin (cryo). — (Courtesy Dr. Willy Gully) What is the difference between a Cryocooler and a Cryostat? A cryostat is any device designed to maintain...

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...