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Breakthrough Quantum Hardware to be Made in USA

Maybell Quantum unveiled the Icebox, a cryogenic platform to power the next generation of quantum computers. Maybell’s condenses a room-sized cryogenic setup into a system slightly larger than a kitchen fridge, cooling quantum devices to just a few thousandths of a degree above absolute zero. Maybell’s Icebox solves several pressing challenges...

JILA Atomic Clocks Measure Einstein’s General Relativity at Millimeter Scale

Physicists from JILA (formerly known as the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics, a physical science research institute at the University of Colorado Boulder campus and jointly operated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology [NIST] and the University of Colorado Boulder) have measured Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity...

Ardent Concepts, Inc. Releases High-Density Ganged Coaxial Attenuators to Support Scale-up of Cryogenic and Quantum Computing Applications

Amphenol Ardent Concepts, a leading supplier of ganged coaxial connectors for use in cryogenic environments, has released high-density ganged coaxial attenuators for in-line use with the TR Multicoax™ series to support the many unique challenges of scaling up quantum computing applications for practical use. Density, substantial environmental changes, and an increasing need...

Fluoramics Eliminates Harmful Chemicals from Sealants and Lubricants in Cryogenic Pumps

California-based Cryogenic Machinery Corp. (CRYO-MACH) is one of the nation’s leading producers of cryogenic pumps. Founded in 1969, the company manufactures single-stage horizontal centrifugal pumps for many of the world’s largest industrial gas suppliers as well as the leading space exploration companies. According to CRYO-MACH General Manager Zack Swartz, the...

James Webb Telescope in Cooling Process

Cooling things down in space is trickier than it might sound, but that is exactly the process the James Webb telescope is going through right now. Getting down to cryogenic temperature is imperative for its infrared imaging systems to work correctly. While the telescope has already started, it will be...

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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....

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...

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...