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

Boeing 777 and problems with ice in fuel

In January 2008 British Airways flight BA038, a Boeing 777 that departed from Beijing, crashed while on final approach to London Heathrow airport after both its jet engines lost power, a condition known as roll-back. Dr. Ralph G.Scurlock explains how the UK and US Air Accident Investigation authorities, together with...

FEI’s installs Titan Krios TEM at Tsinghua University

FEI, a provider of 3D molecular, cellular and atomic-scale imaging systems, has announced the completed installation of its Titan Krios™ cryo transmission electron microscope (TEM) at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

New series of high current connectors from Solid Sealing Technology

Solid Sealing Technology has introduced two new series of high current connector solutions, which are rated for currents from 69 to 250 amps.

GOW-MAC introduces Series AR710 and AR720 gas analyzers

GOW-MAC Instrument Company, introduces the process oriented Series AR710 and AR720 gas analyzers with High Frequency Argon Discharge Ionization Detector (HFADD).

Ken Halpin joins FIBA

FIBA Technologies, Inc. recently announced the addition of Ken Halpin as Senior Director, Human Resources.

Ray Radebaugh receives the 2009 Collins Award

At the CEC/ICMC Awards Breakfast on July 2, Ray Radebaugh received the prestigious Samuel C. Collins Award for “an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the identification and solution of cryogenic engineering problems and has…demonstrated a concern for the cryogenic community through unselfish professional service and leadership to this...

Latest in Defining Cryogenics

Regenerators

Regenerators or regenerative heat exchangers are a key component of cryocoolers such as pulse tube cryocoolers (Cold Facts, August 2014). Regenerator performance greatly affects the coefficient of performance of cryocoolers. Improvements in regenerator design and, in particular, regenerator materials have been an important factor in the improvement of the performance...

Pulse Tube Cryocoolers

The development of pulse tube cryocoolers has been a significant topic of research and development over the past 20 or so years. Pulse tube cryocoolers have a number of advantages over other types of cryocoolers and are now available commercially. In order to understand pulse tube cryocoolers, it’s best to...

Thermal Expansion

Thermal expansion refers to the change in size (length or volume) that a material undergoes as its temperature changes. In cryogenic systems this effect can be quite large and must be allowed for in the design. In isotropic materials, which include most engineering materials, the thermal expansion is the same...

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

An Issue of Pressure and Flow Rate in a Supply Tank

Please help solve this problem: A supply tank requires a vaporizer to generate sufficient pressure to pump stored fluid up into a vehicle or tank. The available head is limited as the tank level falls and it is important to minimize the system pressure drop to maintain the desired flow...

Using MLI on VJ Line Joints or Cryo Storage Tanks

When installing Multi Layer Insulation (MLI) blankets on VJ line joints or cryo storage tanks should they be wrapped and tied down tight or loose? These are usually pre-cut to size. Also should they have an access hole at the point of where the molecular sieve is installed to help...

Separated layers of ice over a pipe

I want to know that why there are different layers of ice over a pipe carrying a cryogenic fluid, each layer separated with clear marks / lines? What do these layers signify?

Using nitrogen as a cryogen

Is it possible to achieve -200˚C using nitrogen as a cryogen?

CATEGORIES