10 things you may not know about superconductivity
2011 marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of superconductivity, the ability of some materials to conduct electricity with zero energy loss when cooled to extremely low temperatures.
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John Baust elected president of American College of Cryosurgery
Dr. John Baust, UNESCO Professor and Director of the Institute of Biomedical Technology at SUNY's Binghamton University, has been elected President of the group, which promotes the highest possible standards in clinical practice, continuing education and research in cryosurgery, raising public awareness in the uses of cryosurgery, and providing a...
Space Shuttle Endeavour to deliver Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer
When the next-to-last Space Shuttle, Endeavour, is launched on April 29 it will be carrying the $2 billion Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) particle detector, an instrument designed to detect dark matter, antimatter and other exotic phenomena.
“100 Years of Superconductivity” Symposium commemorates important anniversary
The "100 Years of Superconductivity" Symposium and Technology Milestone Dedications held April 8 in Leiden, The Netherlands, were major commemorations of this important anniversary.
Physicists pay sad visit to SSC site
A blog by Hamish Johnston on physicsworld.com reports that a group at the American Physical Society March meeting in Dallas “broke in” to the old Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) site just south of the town for a look at the derelict project.
SOFIA makes its first flight, carrying German science instrument
The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) completed its first science flight on April 6, using the German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies (GREAT) scientific instrument.
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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...
Food Processing
Cryogenics and Food The industrial gas industry provides a host of products and services related to food. The various gases have useful and sometimes fascinating applications in food industry. “The food industry is not a homogenous industry. The needs of customers processing hamburger vs. poultry vs. strawberries vs. seafood, for...
Primary Standards
Elie K. Track Hypres, Inc. elie@hypres.com http://www.hypres.com/ Primary standards involve the exact definition and realization of units of measurement for various quantities, time, length, mass, voltage, resistance, current, etc. International agreements based on the latest scientific knowledge define those units, and their realizations vary depending on the unit itself. For...
Shrink Fitting
Robin A. Rhodes Cryogenic Institute of New England, Inc. rrhodes@nitrofreeze.com Shrink fitting, (or “compression fitting” as it is sometimes called), is a method used to insert a pin or bushing into a housing or other assembly requiring an extremely tight tolerance fit. It can be used as an alternative to...
Telecommunications
From the Winter 2004 issue of Cold Facts magazine The recent M-Calc IV — 4th Industry Assessment workshop discussing military and commercial applications for low-cost cryocoolers, held in November in San Diego, highlighted progress being made in cryogenics as applied in telecommunications. The reliability and long lifetime of projects now...
Presence of alloying elements in tool steels
I want to expand my knowledge of cryogenics in general and tool steels in particular. Specifically, I am keenly interested in learning about the presence of alloying elements in tool steels and how their presence in various combinations affects the performance of tool steels after cryogenic treatment.
Pros and cons of barcoding samples
I was wondering if I could ask for input on pros and cons of barcoding. We are in the process of trying to decide if we should start barcoding our samples and I’m just not sure if this is feasible for our organization. We have numerous sites all over the...
Purity level of helium gas stream in cryo plant purification system
I would like to know what the principal methods and the relative instrumentation to check the purity level of helium gas stream in the purification system of a common helium cryogenic plant are. What principles are these instruments based on? And what are their principal characteristics?
LN2 for cryopreservation through controlled rate freezing of samples
I am the cryogenic specialist for a stem cell bank in Greece. I am trying to find the minimum requirements (purity, humidity, etc.) of liquid nitrogen for cryopreservation through controlled rate freezing of biological samples.