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...
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...
Need help comparing chest freezers and upright freezers
Currently we use in our Biobank an upright -80 freezer to store all our samples. We are planning to buy a fully automated bio-repository storage that will do the picking of samples under restricted conditions. But in the meantime I foresee that we have to pick the samples manually. The...
Need recommendations for cryogenic vials
I am looking into standardizing our range of bio storage tubes (cryogenic vials). These will be for both blood and tissue samples and their derivatives. Any recommendations, comments on Micronics, Nalgene, Nunc and or others that are suitable for long term -80 C and -196 C storage, DNA/RNA suitable, would...
We need a custom machine for flash freezing of water
We are an ice making company and have started a new project, which is related to flash freezing of water. It is based on cryogenics technology and we need a custom made machine. I would kindly ask you to pass me a few companies who would be interested in such...
Looking for a pump suitable for cold liquids
I would like to construct a small cooling circuit (appr. 50 x 50 cm) pumping liquid at a temperature down to -120°C from a cold reservoir to the specimen to be cooled. The tubes and connections are not a problem, but does somebody know a pump (suction/compression for circulation) suitable...