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CSA, CEC/ICMC awards presented in Spokane

The CSA and CEC/ICMC awards were presented on Thursday, June 16, 2011, in Spokane at the Awards Banquet. More details and photos are available in the 2011 CEC/ICMC photo gallery and in the Summer issue of Cold Facts.

Advanced Magnet Lab awarded NASA contract for SC machine modeling

The Advanced Magnet Lab, Inc. (AML) has been awarded a three-year research contract from NASA for developing an experimentally validated, high fidelity, physics-based sizing model for high power superconducting machines, such as electrical generators and turbo-electric propulsion fans.

Fermilab researcher reflects on Tevatron’s retirement

At the end of September, Fermilab's famous particle collider the Tevatron will be retired after a dazzling career spanning four decades.

Australian researchers find link between superconductivity and magnetism

Scientists from the University of Sydney are celebrating the 100th anniversary of superconductivity with a discovery of their own.

Communications failure at DOE blamed for helium-3 shortage

Stovepiping within the Department of Energy was responsible for the critical US shortage of helium-3, the rare isotope used in low-temperature physics, medical applications and neutron detection.

Researchers discover mechanism behind superconductivity in pnictides

Researchers in Japan have discovered that a previously unknown and unexpected mechanism gives rise to superconductivity in specific types of materials.

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

Air Separation and Liquefaction

by Nils Tellier, PE, President, EPSIM Corporation (CSA CSM) nils@epsim.us All illustrations courtesy EPSIM Corporation Background History of Air Separation and Liquefaction This section builds on a rich history of methods to develop deep refrigeration and cryogenic liquefaction during the 19th Century. You are encouraged to read Cryo Central’s History...

Bose-Einstein Condensate

A Bose-Einstein condensate, first proposed in 1925 by Albert Einstein based on work done by Satyendra Nath Bose (the same Bose from whom the term boson is derived), is a super-cold state of matter in which almost all of the individual atoms have “condensed” down to the lowest possible quantum...

Cold Technology for Pest Control

While it does not reach temperatures cold enough to be called cryogenic, carbon dioxide snow is at the heart of a new way of dealing with unwanted pests. It utilizes a quick freezing process that takes advantage of the properties of carbon dioxide snow and has a number of benefits...

Cryogenic Finishing

The following 3 articles discuss the uses and procedures of various type of cryogenic finishing. 1) By Robin A. Rhodes, Cryogenic Institute of New England, Inc. rrhodes@nitrofreeze.com Cryogenic Deflashing is employed to remove undesired residual mold flash that remains on molded parts after they are removed or ejected from the...

Latest in Ask the Experts