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Space Cryogenic Workshop Recap

During a year filled with uncertainty, many were worried about the effects of the pandemic on CSA’s biennial Space Cryogenics Workshop (SCW). After much consideration and effort, we are pleased to report the successful execution of our first – and hopefully only – virtual SCW. Hosted virtually on the Remo®...

Jefferson Lab Accelerator Gets a Fresh Pair of Eyes

A newly invented detector is allowing physicists at the US Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (CSA CSM) to “see” neutrons like never before. Fresh insight from these devices has improved operation of the lab’s powerful electron accelerator, which is used in nuclear physics studies of the atom’s...

Over a Year Later, Construction Continues to Progress on PIP-II Cryoplant Building

Ground broke on the PIP-II Cryogenic Plant Building in July 2020 at Fermilab (CSA CSM) and construction began that August. This project is integral to PIP-II’s success, as the building will house cryogenic equipment that will cool the accelerator and mechanical, as well as electric utilities for the linac complex.

Cryogenic Submerged Motor Pumps Sales to Increase by 1.4x as Demand for LNG Grows by 3.8%

Cryogenic submerged motor pumps market to top $2.5 bn driven by increasing demand for natural gas. In its new study, Fact.MR offers a holistic overview of the pricing analysis and trends of the global cryogenic submerged motor pumps market. In addition, it highlights detailed information about major growth opportunities, drivers,...

Valcor Release Cryogenic Launch Vehicle Valves White Paper

One of the biggest challenges to designing valves for launch vehicle applications, particularly for the upper stages, is meeting flow requirements within tight envelope and weight specifications. Valcor, a company that specializes in the design and manufacture of pilot-operated valves capable of achieving high flows in a compact and lightweight...

Startup Displays India’s First Privately Developed, 3D-Printed Cryogenic Engine

Hyderabad-based startup Skyroot Aerospace has successfully demonstrated the country’s first privately developed cryogenic rocket engine named Dhawan-1 after eminent rocket scientist Satish Dhawan. The company will use the engine as the upper stage of its Vikram-2 launch vehicle.

Latest in Defining Cryogenics

Cold Compressors

A common way to provide cooling below the normal boiling point of helium (4.2K) is to reduce the pressure above the bath of liquid helium, thus also reducing the bath’s equilibrium saturation temperature. For example, to produce a 1.8K bath of liquid helium, the saturation pressure has to be reduced...

Kapitza Conductance

Kapitza conductance refers to the heat transfer between a solid surface and a fluid that covers that surface. Fundamentally, it describes the inherent difficulty in transferring energy from a solid to the fluid covering the solid surface. This phenomenon was first observed by P. L. Kapitza in 1941 while studying...

Thermosyphons

A thermosyphon (or thermosiphon) is a device that transfers heat via natural convection in a fluid. The natural convection is driven by gravity with the colder, denser fluid flowing downhill and the warmer, less dense fluid flowing back up. Thus, thermosyphons connect an object to be cooled with a reservoir...

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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