Cold Facts Digital – Page 61 – The go-to place for Cryogenics and Superconductivity

Figure 1: An artist's rendering of the COSI satellite. Credit: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Goddard Goings

An insight into past, present and future cryogenic missions where the Cryogenics and Fluids Branch at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center had or has a significant role. by Mark Kimball, Ph.D., Cryogenics and Fluids Branch, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Readers of this column may recall last year’s recounting of...

The LOXSAT payload undergoes environmental control testing at the Kennedy Space Center’s EMI Lab in November 2024. Credit: Eta Space

Eta Space Progresses Cryogenic Fluid Management Technology in Space, Energy and Beyond

by Leah Sudhir, Eta Space Eta Space is at the forefront of cryogenic fluid management (CFM) technology for the aerospace industry, continuously pushing the boundaries of innovation and expanding its customer base. Founded by Dr. William “Bill” Notardonato, who brings over 30 years of experience from NASA, the company has...

A line-up of product family members, showing the different chassis sizes, as well as illustrating the modular integration of multiple cooling stages for ultralow temperature applications. Credit: Danaher Cryogenics

Danaher’s Acquisition of ADR Cryostat Line Pioneers the Future of Cryogenic Technology

by Charlie Danaher, Danaher Cryogenics, President In December, Danaher Cryogenics marked a significant milestone by completing the acquisition of the adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR) Cryostat product line from FormFactor. Originally developed by FormFactor’s subsidiary, High Precision Devices (HPD), the ADR product line has garnered a strong reputation among researchers and...

These images show the various stages of the assembly of the flat bottom tank LNG. Credit: Cryospain

Cryospain’s Flat-Bottom Tank Project in Morocco is a Step Forward for LNG

by Cryospain Communications Team As the global energy sector shifts toward more sustainable sources, liquefied natural gas (LNG) has emerged as a key transitional fuel. Its cleaner-burning profile, abundant supply and versatility position it as a bridge between fossil fuels and renewables. In this evolving landscape, Cryospain, a leader in...

Schematic Diagram of the Research. Credit: Jiayi Chen, Dandan Guan and Jin-Feng Jia from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Magnetic Chains on Superconductors: New Heterostructure Design Advances Quantum Technology

Magnetic-superconducting hybrid systems are essential for realizing topological superconductivity—a quantum state capable of hosting elusive Majorana modes with promising applications in fault-tolerant quantum computing. Despite their potential, engineering stable and controllable interfaces between magnetic and superconducting materials remains a significant challenge, often hindered by lattice mismatches, interfacial complexities, and disorder....

Southern Pines Cryogenics, LLC is backed by a fleet of late model Peterbilt trucks and bulk cryogenic trailers.

Southern Pines Cryogenics Emerges as Preferred Carrier for Cryogenic Transportation

Southern Pines Cryogenics, LLC, an asset-based carrier providing bulk cryogenic transportation solutions for the industrial gas industry, has officially launched as an independent company. Previously a division of Southern Pines Trucking, Inc. since 2002, Southern Pines Cryogenics now operates as its own entity, continuing to safely transport essential cryogenic gases...

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

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?

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