Cold Facts Digital – The go-to place for Cryogenics and Superconductivity

Quantum Computing With a Revolutionary Superconducting Processor

Researchers at the Cleland Lab, part of the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME), have unveiled a groundbreaking design for superconducting quantum processors. This new architecture features a modular router that breaks free from the traditional two-dimensional grid constraints, enhancing qubit connectivity and scalability. The advancement...

Helium Conservation by Diffusion Limited Purging of Liquid Hydrogen Tanks

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) has developed an analytical model that predicts diffusion between two gases during piston purging of liquid hydrogen (LH2) tanks. This model helps explain dramatic helium savings seen in a recent Kennedy Space Center (KSC) purge, shows that undesired turbulent mixing occurred in Space...

Advanced Cooling Secures $1M Cryogenic Cold Wall Order

Thermal management solutions provider Advanced Cooling Technologies has received a $1 million order from Hamilton Storage to support its biological sample storage freezers. The order includes cryogenic cold walls integral to Hamilton Storage’s ongoing cold plate programme, which ensures consistent temperatures for sensitive biological specimens. Ensuring Sample Integrity Hamilton Storage...

Astoriom Opens New State-of-the-Art Cryogenic Storage Suite in Waterford

Astoriom, a global leader in life sciences R&D sample stability and biorepository storage, has unveiled a cutting-edge cryogenic storage suite at its Tramore facility in County Waterford. This new development brings unparalleled capabilities for biological sample storage to Ireland. Gerald Hurley, CEO of the Waterford Chamber of Commerce, joined Astoriom’s...

ISRO’s CE20 Cryogenic Engine Achieves Milestone in Sea-Level Test

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced a significant breakthrough in propulsion technology as the CE20 cryogenic engine passed a critical sea-level test, marking a vital step forward for its future space missions. The test, conducted on November 29 at the ISRO Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu, demonstrated the...

Nottingham Initiates Cryogenic Hydrogen-Electric Flight Program

The University of Nottingham has kicked off a £5.3 million program of research to support the development, manufacture and testing of a revolutionary cryogenic hydrogen-electric propulsion system. The news was announced at the Farnborough International Airshow 2024 and is part of a pioneering £44 million project led by GKN Aerospace,...

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

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...

Latest in Ask the Experts