ADVERTISEMENT

Stanford Finds Crystal That Could Revolutionize Quantum Tech

Superconductivity and quantum computing have rapidly evolved from theoretical frontiers to real-world technologies. The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics recognized breakthroughs in superconducting quantum circuits that promise ultra-powerful computing systems. Yet these technologies demand cryogenic operating conditions, near absolute zero, where most materials lose their useful properties. Identifying materials that...

VALCOR ENGINEERING ADDS NEW VIBRATION LABORATORY

Valcor Engineering Corporation, a longtime designer and manufacturer of precision fluid and motion control components—including cryogenic solenoid valves—has expanded its in-house testing resources with the addition of a new Vibration Laboratory at its Springfield, New Jersey headquarters. The new facility provides full 3-axis (X, Y, Z) vibration testing, including sine...

Delta Reliably Meets the Need for Cryogenic Pipe Shoes in the LNG Space

As the LNG industry has grown, so has the number of suppliers who serve that market. No one knows that better, perhaps, than Delta Machine & Ironworks. The Baton Rouge-based fabricator is rapidly becoming the “go to” supplier of one of the most indisputably vital support products on LNG jobsites. Over...
‘Much-loved’ UW collaborator John Clarke wins the Nobel Prize in Physics

‘Much-loved’ UW collaborator John Clarke wins the Nobel Prize in Physics

  The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics jointly to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis, “for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunneling and energy quantization in an electric circuit.” Clarke, a professor emeritus of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, collaborates with the Axion Dark...

ADVERTISEMENT

Dewar

A dewar is a type of cryostat named after Sir James Dewar, the researcher who first developed the concept of a vacuum insulated container with silvered walls to reflect thermal radiation. Dewar was the first to liquefy hydrogen, and he created the device to store his discovery. The thermos bottle...

Stirling and Gifford-McMahon Cryocoolers

Stirling and Gifford-McMahon (GM) cryocoolers are two of the most commonly used cryocoolers in cryogenics. Both devices have a significant industrial base and operate at a wide range of temperatures and capacities. The thermodynamic cycles for both of these cryocoolers are quite similar. The Stirling cycle consists of a compressor,...

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)

A significant commercial application of cryogenics is the liquefaction, transport and storage of natural gas. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is generally 95 percent methane with a few percent ethane and much lower concentrations of propane and butane. LNG liquefies at 111.6 K. Unlike many applications of cryogenics, the motivation for...

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...