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SVC Partners with ASM International

The Society of Vacuum Coaters (SVC) and ASM International have announced the formation of a strategic alliance designed to bring the complementary strengths of both organizations together to better serve their global members and the community at large. As part of the alliance, ASM will begin providing comprehensive association management...

Air Liquide Upgrades, Expands Texas Complex

Air Liquide has completed a major upgrade and expansion of its Bayport industrial complex located just east of Houston. The complex covers 88 acres of land and supplies oxygen, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, electricity, steam and industrial and demineralized water to customers in many industries. The facility is central to Air...

Scientists Observe Elusive Cooper Pairs, Confirm 50-Year-Old Prediction

An international scientific team has produced the first direct evidence of a Cooper pair density wave, a state of electronic matter first predicted by theorists in 1964. The discovery, described in a paper published in Nature, may provide key insights into the workings of high temperature superconductors.

Fermilab Welcomes Baby Bison with Naming Puns

Fermilab welcomed its first baby bison of 2016 on April 26 and by the next day a herd of its social media followers were birthing puns in a tongue-in-cheek #BisonNaming contest. Fermilab suggested the first name, Neil EatdeGrasse Bison, and followers took it from there. Suggestions included Higgs Bison, Bisotron,...

Researchers Look to Super-Spintronics for Future Computing

A University of Cambridge led project aims to develop a new architecture for future computing based on superconducting spintronics. Researchers on the project, dubbed Superspin, say it will pave the way for a new generation of ultralow power supercomputers capable of processing vast amounts of data at a fraction of...

Cryogenic Heat Exchangers for Space Exploration

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is perhaps one of the most cost efficient satellite launching organizations in the world today. The two principal series of launch vehicles it uses are the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the Geo Synchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV). GSLV has three stages, the third of...

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

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...

Cryogenic Treatment of Materials

F.J. Diekman Controlled Thermal Processing, Inc. info@metal-wear.com Cryogenic Processing (also called cryogenic treatment, and incorrectly “cryogenic tempering”) is a process that uses cryogenic temperatures to modify materials to enhance their performance. Cryogenic Processing involves the slow reduction in temperature of the material to at least -300°F (-185°C) and holding the...

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