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Cryogenic Systems Enable SOFIA Space Project

An interview with Nans Kunz, Senior Engineer at NASA Ames Research Center, and former SOFIA Chief Engineer. The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) project is a telescope carried in a 747 aircraft up above the atmosphere. Kunz explains how cryogenics made the project more cost-effective and efficient.

Fermilab Director elected a fellow of the AAAS

Fermilab Director Pier Oddone as been elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a prestigious honorary society and independent policy research center. Oddone joins Fermilab scientists Bill Bardeen and Helen Edwards in receiving this honor.

ORNL’s beam reaches 310 kilowatts

Oak Ridge National Laboratory became the world's most powerful source of pulsed neutrons when its beam reached 310 kilowatts in late January.

Fermilab addresses growing goose population

Fermilab Today reported that, "A new posse in town has its sights set on Fermilab's feathery fowl.

US Postal Service honors Professor John Bardeen

A US postage stamp commemorating the late UI physics Professor John Bardeen, inventor of the transistor and a two-time Nobel Prize Winner, was officially issued at Postage Stamp Mega-Event in New York's Madison Square Garden.

Ganni Cycle saves BNL in weekly electric costs

The "Ganni Cycle", invented by engineers at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, has been saving Brookhaven National Laboratory approximately $50,000 a week in electric costs for the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC).

Latest in Defining Cryogenics

Helium-3

Helium-3 (3He) is one of the two stable isotopes of helium. The other is the much more common Helium-4 (4He). Neither of these isotopes should be confused with He II, which is the second liquid phase of 4He. He II was discussed in this column in the Spring 2010 edition...

Cryopumping

Cryopumping refers to the use of cryogenic temperatures to produce vacuum in enclosed spaces. More broadly, it can also refer to the removal of gases via cryogenic temperatures from a flow stream or enclosure without necessarily resulting in vacuum pressures. This is an important application of cryogenics and is used...

Thermal Acoustic Oscillations

Thermal Acoustic Oscillations (TAO) are a common event in cryogenic systems that can have significant adverse effects on the performance of the system. TAOs are sustained pressure oscillations that can occur in tubes containing gas, closed at one end (the warm end) that have a very large temperature gradient along...

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

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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