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Electrifying Space: Zenno’s fuel-free satellite pointing system

New Zealand-based space-flight systems company, Zenno Astronautics (Zenno), has proudly announced a remarkable achievement—surpassing a staggering $75 million in product sales (equivalent to USD 48 million) for its groundbreaking innovation, the Z01™ superconducting magnetorquer for spacecraft attitude control. At the heart of Zenno’s success is the Z01, a revolutionary satellite...

World-First in Oman

A momentous event unfolded as the world’s first-ever liquefied hydrogen carrier, Suiso Frontier, graced the shores of Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat on August 14. Proudly crafted by the renowned Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI), this marks the long-anticipated debut of Suiso Frontier in the Sultanate of Oman. The name “Suiso”...

SkyWater Unveils Cryo Lab, Partners with FormFactor for Advanced RTS Noise Detection in ROIC Applications

SkyWater Technology announced earlier this year the establishment of a new cryogenic lab dedicated to characterizing random telegraph signal (RTS) noise for read-out integrated circuits (ROICs). This move is aimed at addressing the crucial need to mitigate RTS noise in order to enhance image quality and performance for ROIC customers...

Breakthrough Enables Quench Detection in High-Field Magnets for Fusion Reactors

Researchers at Berkeley Lab’s Accelerator Technology & Applied Physics (ATAP) Division have developed a method for detecting and predicting the local loss of superconductivity in large-scale magnets that are capable of generating high magnetic fields. These high-field magnets are a core enabling technology for many areas of scientific research, medicine...

NASA Rocket Hardware Prepped for Shipment to Space Coast

With Artemis teammates and media watching, United Launch Alliance (ULA) crews guided the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for Artemis III to the loading dock at ULA’s facility in Decatur, Alabama, July 31. ULA’s R/S RocketShip will transport the flight hardware to ULA’s...

Contract Awarded for Acquisition of Large Cryogenic System for DUNE Detectors in South Dakota

A significant milestone has been achieved in the realization of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) with the awarding of a multi-year contract for the acquisition of a large cryogenic plant. This plant will be responsible for cooling tens of thousands of tons of liquid argon, bringing the ambitious experiment...

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

Magnetic Levitation

From http://www.superconductors.org. Magnetic-levitation is an application where superconductors perform extremely well. Transport vehicles such as trains can be made to “float” on strong superconducting magnets, virtually eliminating friction between the train and its tracks. Not only would conventional electromagnets waste much of the electrical energy as heat, they would have...

Superconductivity

From Superpower website. History of Superconductivity Superconductivity was discovered in 1911 by the Dutch physicist, Heike Kammerlingh Onnes when he was able to liquefy helium by cooling it to 4 Kelvin, or -452°F. This enabled him to cool other materials close to absolute zero and investigate their electrical properties. He...

Medical Applications of Cryogenics

Neutron Therapy Cryogenics is at the heart of nuclear accelerators. Accelerators such as Fermilab’s Tevatron make neutron therapy for cancer possible. From Fermilab Today 4/20/09: Fermilab currently offers neutron therapy. But staff at Fermilab designed and built the proton accelerator used by the nation’s first hospital-based treatment center to use...

Nuclear Physics

Al Zeller National Superconducting Cyclotron Lab (NSCL) at Michigan State University zeller@nscl.msu.edu Cryogenics has a long history in nuclear physics. The technology has its origins in the use of cold traps for maintaining a vacuum, which is required to prevent beam loss and for generating high voltages used in acceleration....

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?

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