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

Cryo-Engineering for SRF

Fifty-Five Years of Inextricable Success-Superconducting Radio Frequency (SRF) cavities are vitally central to SRF accelerators, boasting a Q factor about 105 times higher than copper cavities and the capability to produce accelerating fields (Eacc) on an order of magnitude greater than copper in CW. In the 1960s, SRF cavities were...

H2FLY Pioneers Emissions-Free Flight with Successful Liquid-Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft

Stuttgart-based innovator H2FLY has achieved an unprecedented breakthrough in aviation history by successfully conducting the world’s first piloted flight of an electric aircraft powered by liquid hydrogen. This remarkable milestone marks a pivotal moment in the journey towards sustainable aviation, showcasing the immense potential of hydrogen-based technology in revolutionizing the...

HeLIUM Cryogenics Redefines Cryogenic Technology

In an era where technological innovation is not just an advantage but a necessity, HeLIUM Cryogenics™, stands at the vanguard, continually pushing the boundaries of whatʼs possible in cryogenic technology. Presently, a significant milestone is being marked in HeLIUMʼs journey as it unveils its latest innovation: a new line of...

LCLS-II’s ‘First Light’ Revolutionizes X-ray Science

The LCLS-XFEL at SLAC National Accelerator Lab has launched its upgraded version, LCLS-II, generating its first X-rays. This advancement is set to revolutionize research, offering unparalleled capabilities for studying quantum materials with remarkable precision. Scientists worldwide are queued up to explore various applications, from improving computing and communication technologies using...

Can LH2 Preserve Our Last Clean Continent?

Antarctica is vital for cold research, from understanding our fragile climate to tracking local fauna. Energy is critical to this research as it supports expeditions and heating bases. Reliance on diesel import is leaving a dark legacy on the continent, as the buildup of black carbon is causing accelerated rates...

Commonwealth Fusion Cryo Team’s Just-in-Time Engineering

High temperature superconducting (HTS) tapes, which have emerged over the last decade, are enablers for new technologies. Specifically, high temperature superconducting magnets to enable commercial fusion energy are arguably the most tantalizing and potentially impactful. Fusion energy would be a long-envisioned source of firm, safe, carbon-free electricity whose successful development...

Latest in Defining Cryogenics

Mixed Refrigerant Cycles

Most cryogenic refrigeration systems, both large scale systems and cryocoolers, use helium as a working fluid. There are a number of advantages to helium, not the least of which is that helium remains a fluid down to the lowest achievable temperatures. In order to freeze helium, pressures of over 20...

Fountain Pumps and He II Phase Separators

Helium II (He II), the second liquid phase of the 4He isotope described in this column in Cold Facts Spring 2010 (http://2csa.us/he2), can be modeled as consisting of two interpenetrating fluids. One, the superfluid component, has zero viscosity and entropy and the other, the normal fluid component, has nonzero viscosity...

Turboexpanders

A vital technology in the refrigerators and liquefiers described in Cold Facts Volume 31 Number 3 is that of turboexpanders. These devices are rotating machines in which the process fluid (e.g., helium) does work against the turboexpander while moving from high pressure to a lower pressure and thus is cooled....

Latest in Cryo Central

Wind Tunnels

Dr. Robert Kilgore The development of the cryogenic wind tunnel is one of many significant breakthroughs in both cryogenics and wind-tunnel technology made during the past millennium. Interest in the development of high-speed commercial and military aircraft resulted in a review of problems of flow simulation in transonic wind tunnels...

History of Cryogenics

From the Fall 1999 issue of Cold Facts magazine Millennium Breakthroughs A variety of CSA members give different perspectives on the past millennium: What were the most significant breakthroughs in cryogenics during the past millennium? Prof. R.G. Scurlock, Kryos Technology, scurlock@soton.ac.uk (“Breakthrough” = way through obstacles — Oxford English Dictionary)...

Cryobiology

Andreas Sputtek Past President Society for Cryobiology sputtek@uke.uni-hamburg.de or http://www.sputtek.de/. The word cryobiology (from the Greek words “cryo” = cold, “bios” = life, and “logos” = science) literally signifies the science of life at low temperatures. In practice, this field comprises the study of any biological material or system (e.g.,...

Cryogenic Insulation

James E. Fesmire Cryogenics Test Laboratory NASA Kennedy Space Center james.e.fesmire@nasa.gov Introduction In today’s world, the use of cryogenics and low-temperature refrigeration is taking a more and more significant role. From the food industry, transportation, energy, and medical applications to the Space Shuttle, cryogenic liquids must be stored, handled, and...

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