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Beckman Institute Labs Bridge Advanced Imaging and Alzheimer’s Research

The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has embarked on a life-changing research project to advance the early detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. With the support of a $3 million grant from the US National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes...

Bluefors Lab Offers Cryo Measurements, a Low Risk Model for Experiments

Quantum technology continues to develop at a rapid pace, and the need for access to cryogenic cooling systems for quantum research has never been greater. While established institutions have an increasing number of options to choose from, startups and smaller institutions still face considerable challenges, not least of which are...

Doctor Advances Cryopreservation in Heart Regeneration and Organ Transplantation

At Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Rasha Al-attar’s research is at the forefront of advancing heart regeneration and organ transplantation. Initially focusing on stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte (hPSC-CM) transplantation to repair infarcted heart tissue, Dr. Al-attar faced a significant challenge: while immature hPSC-CMs survive freezing, they often induce...

Pressure Increase Method Marks Significant Advancement in Cryogenic Controls and Safety

Ensuring the integrity of packaging in cryogenic environments is crucial for maintaining product quality and operational safety. Recent advancements in non-destructive leak testing technology underscore significant improvements in cryogenic controls and safety by emphasizing the need for precise and reliable testing methods. Effective leak detection is essential for preserving the...

Tests Show High Temperature Superconducting Magnets Ready for Fusion

In the early hours of September 5, 2021, engineers at MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) achieved a groundbreaking milestone by demonstrating a world-record magnetic field strength of 20 tesla with a new high-temperature superconducting magnet. This breakthrough is crucial for advancing fusion power technology, with the potential to...

How Hydrogen Fuel Cells and Combustion Could Revolutionize Racing

Hydrogen power is gradually making its mark on the motorsport scene. This year, we have already witnessed hydrogen race cars competing in the Fuji 24 Hours, hillclimbs, and the Dakar Rally. Looking ahead to 2025, the world’s first hydrogen championship, Extreme H, will debut, and by 2027, hydrogen prototypes are...

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

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...

Latest in Ask the Experts

Power usage: cryogenic systems vs. regular refrigerators

A recent project highlighted to me that closed cycle cryogenic cooling systems use far more electrical power to reduce temperatures by a few watts than regular refrigerators. I am sure it must be something to do with the extra difficulty of removing the heat from the liquid nitrogen or similar...

Redundancy strategies for mechanical -80C freezers

I was wondering what kind of redundancy strategies are people using for their mechanical -80C freezers? I am aware of the following. Please add if you are doing something different. 1) 1 Backup freezer for every 10 freezers – Empty and maintained at -80C at all times 2) Backup C02...

Safety guidelines for handling cryo vessels of nitrogen

I am looking for any safety guidelines for handling cryogenic vessels of nitrogen indoors and outdoors. I am especially interested in recommendations for area monitors to detect leaks, flow detection devices, etc.

Method to move components in a cryogenic environment

Does anyone know of a method with which to reliably move components in a cryogenic environment? We are interested in moving detectors in a cryogenically cooled (2K) vacuum chamber, which is contained within a larger cryostat/isolation vacuum with thermal shields. As the desired horizontal or vertical displacement is between 10...

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