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Education in Cryogenics, Superconductivity: Some Updates 

The following are some recent updates and additions to the information offered at CSA’s website about educational opportunities in cryogenics and superconductivity, both in classrooms and nontraditional settings, in the US and around the world.

Registration Open for ‘Foundations of Cryocoolers’ Short Course at ICC18

Registration is now open for the “Foundations of Cryocoolers” short course to be held on Monday, June 9, 2014, right before the 18th International Cryocoolers Conference (ICC18). The conference will be held June 9-12 at Syracuse University, Syracuse NY. Conference Chairman is Rich Dausman of Cryomech, Inc. and Co-Chair is...

US Gov’t Shutdown Affects Cryo, Superconductivity

In October, it would have been hard to miss the news of the 16-day US federal government shutdown, even for those located outside of the United States. The shutdown came as a result of Congress’ inability to enact legislation appropriating funds for fiscal year 2014 or to agree on a...

Use of fiberglass in the LNG market

I am doing a bit of market research on the use of fiberglass in the LNG market. What is the type and weave of fiberglass used in LNG manufacturing? Is it used aesthetically or is there an actual technical purpose for the fiberglass, such as insulation? Can you name the...

Stirling Cryocoolers for the LNG Market

Interest in use of Stirling cryogenerators (cryocoolers) for liquefied natural gas (LNG) applications has grown with the increasing worldwide demand for the gas. Cryogenerators act as cold heat exchangers which can directly reliquefy methane gas. They are typically used for direct liquefaction of an LNG stream, e.g. that produced from...

Minimizing Eddy Currents in Superinsulation

RUAG's study investigated various processes to structure metallic coatings to develop a better product. The aim was to retain the high reflectivity provided by the aluminum and to reduce the eddy currents to a level acceptable for different application

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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...

Cryogenic Electronics

Randall Kirschman, consulting physicist, Mountain View, California ExtElect@gmail.com Cryogenic electronics—the operation of electronic devices, circuits, and systems at cryogenic temperatures—has been a valuable technology for decades. Cryogenic electronics (also referred to as low-temperature electronics, or cold electronics) can be based on semiconductive devices, on superconductive devices, or on a combination...

Particle Physics: High Energy Physics

Cryogenics and High-Energy Physics 1. From symmetry magazine: http://www.symmetrymagazine.org/cms/?pid=1000627: Cryogenics is the study of how materials behave at temperatures near absolute zero. In high-energy particle accelerators, such frigid temperatures reduce the electrical resistance of wires in superconducting magnets, increasing the magnet strength and allowing faster particle acceleration. The same holds...

HTS Degaussing Systems

From the Spring 2009 issue of Cold Facts (Volume 25, Number 2): Thanks to a joint project by the US Navy and a number of industry partners, high temperature superconducting (HTS) technology is now at the heart of an advanced degaussing system aboard the USS Higgins at the naval station...

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

From http://www.superconductors.org: An area where superconductors can perform a life-saving function is in the field of biomagnetism. Doctors need a non-invasive means of determining what’s going on inside the human body. By impinging a strong superconductor-derived magnetic field into the body, hydrogen atoms that exist in the body’s water and...

Suppliers of regenerator materials

I was looking for suppliers of regenerator materials. Can you please provide a list of vendors for: • Lead spheres • Bronze screen discs • Rare earth materials and spheres Thank you in advance for any help you can provide.

Containing ice accumulation while recovering helium

We are implementing a system to recover helium from our Janis ST-500 continuous flow LHe cryostat. The recovery system uses standard 1/4″ plastic tubing, which we connect directly to the cryostat’s exhaust port. The problem with this setup is that the gas is still quite cold as it leaves the...