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New Method Produces Hydrogen at Lower Temperatures

Waseda University (Tokyo) scientists have developed a new fast and irreversible method for producing hydrogen that requires less energy and takes place at lower temperatures. The innovation, according to the research team, is expected to contribute to the spread of fuel cell systems for automobiles and homes.

Strong Signs of Quantum Spin Observed in Ytterbium Compound

Inside a new exotic crystal cooled to near absolute zero, physicist Martin Mourigal has observed strong indications of quantum entanglement, a theory so weird Albert Einstein lampooned it as "spooky action at a distance." Entanglement occurs when two particles, such as electrons, become intimately linked to one another even when...

BESSY II Experiment Cools 10 Million Ions to 7.4 K

Scientists at BESSY II in Berlin have developed an experimental method that cooled 10 million ions to 7.4 K for the first time. The new ion trap they created provides an opportunity to use cryogenic X-ray spectroscopy to study the magnetism and ground states of molecular ions. It is also,...

Brooks Automation Acquires Cool Lab, LLC

Brooks Automation, Inc. (CSA CSM) announced on Nov. 29 that it has acquired Cool Lab, LLC, a subsidiary of BioCision, LLC. Cool Lab provides a range of innovative, patented and patent-pending applications for sample cooling and freezing, controlled rate freezing, portable cryogenic transport and archival storage solutions for temperature sensitive...

New MRI Magnet Requires only 20 Liters of Helium

GE Healthcare has announced Freelium, a magnet technology that operates with 20 liters of liquid helium compared to the 2,000 liters needed by conventional MRI magnets. Hospitals using the technology, according to GE, would no longer require the extensive venting that often necessitates siting a magnet in a separate building...

India Set to Become Associate Member State of CERN

At an event on Nov. 21, Fabiola Gianotti, CERN's director general, and Sekhar Basu, chairman of the Indian Atomic Energy Commission and secretary of India's Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), signed an agreement admitting India to CERN as an Associate Member.

Latest in Defining Cryogenics

Dilution Refrigerators

Dilution refrigerators are a common technique for reaching temperatures below 1K, particularly where continuous cooling at these temperatures is required. Helium exists in two stable isotopes: 4He and 3He. Naturally occurring 3He is extremely rare, constituting less than 1 part per million of helium gas. However, 3He can be manufactured,...

Oxygen Deficiency Hazards

Oxygen Deficiency Hazards (ODH) are a significant safety issue in cryogenic facilities. ODH occurs when inert gases such as nitrogen, helium or argon displace room air and thus lower the percentage of oxygen in the space below that required for human life. OSHA defines an area as oxygen deficient if...

Kelvin Temperature Scale

The Kelvin temperature scale is the principal temperature scale used in cryogenics and science. The kelvin is also one of the seven base units in the Système International d’Unités (SI) and is the unit of thermodynamic temperature. Thermodynamic temperature is a fundamental physical quantity (like mass, length or electrical current)...

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

Resistance to embrittlement at low temperatures

Could anyone advise me about resistance to embrittlement at low temperatures for the alloys in subject, i.e. does the CF10M perform like the CF8M in the same cryogenic service (-215F)? Amara Maafi Amara.Maafi@bg-group.com

Need help with temperature dependent model

I am a fourth-year student at New Zealand University. My name is Xu Ke. I have a project to generate a temperature dependent model for inductor, capacitor and diode by using PLECS. PLECS is software which acts as a toolbox for MATLAB. In my models, the temperature is very low,...

In what form is water available in LN2?

Does anybody know in what form water is available in LN2? There probably is a block of ice in the bottom of the tank. But as water comes in many shapes, I can imagine snow or crystals floating free in the LN2. When water is available in LN2, could small...

Separating gases using cryogenics

We are looking for some consulting engineers who understand how to separate gases using cryogenics. We have a new process which takes biomass and converts it to 5 gases and we need to separate these gases into their pure forms. Thanks for your help. Malcolm Draper Energy Research Group LLC...

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