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UK Retailer Testing LN2 Engine in Its Refrigerated Delivery Trucks

Sainsbury’s, a major UK based retailer, has become the first company in the world to introduce a refrigerated delivery truck cooled by a liquid nitrogen powered engine. The company says the engine is expected to eliminate all emissions associated with refrigeration. It will undergo a three-month trial during which time...

Helium Discovered in Tanzania, Link to Volcanic Activity Verified

A new approach to gas exploration has uncovered a huge helium gas field in Tanzania, a discovery that could address the increasingly critical shortage of this vital yet rare element. A research group from Oxford and Durham universities developed the approach, together with Helium One, a Norway-headquartered helium exploration company.

SCAI Announces Collaboration Agreement with SynSysCo

Sumitomo (SHI) Cryogenics of America, Inc. (SCAI), a CSA CSM, has announced a joint collaboration with Synergy Systems Corp (SynSysCo) for the distribution and service of Sumitomo’s Marathon® CP Cryopumps across North America.

Titan Shines Light on High-Temperature Superconductor Pathway

Scientists from the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) (CSA CSM) have identified an alternative route to superconducting for copper oxides, or cuprates, in the pseudogap phase, an in-between phase before superconductivity in which cuprates exhibit both insulating and conducting properties.

Remembering Helen Edwards

Helen Edwards, distinguished and highly regarded scientist at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (CSA CSM), died on June 21 at the age of 80. Edwards was the leader in the design, construction, commissioning and operation of the Tevatron collider. In recent years she made significant contributions to the development of high-gradient,...

Brookhaven Powers Magnet Idle for Eight Years

A team of physicists and engineers at the US Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory has completed preliminary tests of a 20-ton cylindrical magnet that could form the heart of an upgraded particle detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The goal was to see if the superconducting solenoid...

Latest in Defining Cryogenics

Mixed Refrigerant Cycles

Most cryogenic refrigeration systems, both large scale systems and cryocoolers, use helium as a working fluid. There are a number of advantages to helium, not the least of which is that helium remains a fluid down to the lowest achievable temperatures. In order to freeze helium, pressures of over 20...

Fountain Pumps and He II Phase Separators

Helium II (He II), the second liquid phase of the 4He isotope described in this column in Cold Facts Spring 2010 (http://2csa.us/he2), can be modeled as consisting of two interpenetrating fluids. One, the superfluid component, has zero viscosity and entropy and the other, the normal fluid component, has nonzero viscosity...

Turboexpanders

A vital technology in the refrigerators and liquefiers described in Cold Facts Volume 31 Number 3 is that of turboexpanders. These devices are rotating machines in which the process fluid (e.g., helium) does work against the turboexpander while moving from high pressure to a lower pressure and thus is cooled....

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

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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