New method shows electron pairs precede HTS
Using new imaging methods, scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory have confirmed that electron pairs that carry electrical current emerge above the transition temperature before superconductivity sets in.
November 11, 2008
Organizations urge Obama to appoint White House Science Advisor
The American Institute of Physics, the American Physical Society and the American Astronomical Society were among 180 organizations that signed letters to President-Elect Barack Obama and Senator John McCain, urging them to appoint a White House Science Advisor by Inauguration Day.
November 11, 2008
PBS’ Independent Lens to air “The Atom Smashers” on Nov.25
On Tuesday, November 25, 2008 at 10:30 PM CST, PBS's Independent Lens will air a documentary called "The Atom Smashers." The film gives an in-depth look into particle physics, the Fermilab Tevatron, CERN's Large Hadron Collider and the search for the Higgs boson.
November 10, 2008
Request for Assistance: Cryogenic MEMS Pressure Sensor
I am working on a National Science Foundation grant with researchers from Silicon Valley to develop a new type of MEMS pressure sensor. Given my background in cryogenics I was wondering if it could be adapted to that environment and am exploring research opportunities. Initial thoughts are to develop a...
October 29, 2008
Professor Haruyama named Chairman of ICEC
Longtime CSA Member Professor Tomiyoshi Haruyama of the Institute of Particle and Nuclear Studies at KEK has been named Chairman of the International Cryogenic Engineering Conference Committee.
October 28, 2008
Joule-Thomson Effect
The Joule-Thomson (JT) effect is a thermodynamic process that occurs when a fluid expands from high pressure to low pressure at constant enthalpy (an isenthalpic process). Such a process can be approximated in the real world by expanding a fluid from high pressure to low pressure across a valve. Under...
September 26, 2011
Current Leads
One of the challenges of using superconducting magnets is the connection of the magnet to a room temperature power supply. This is accomplished via current leads. The trick is that current leads should ideally have a low heat leak, since they connect room temperature to cryogenic temperature, while at the...
September 26, 2011
Multilayer Insulation
Multilayer insulation (also referred to as superinsulation) is a key component in the reduction of heat leak to cryogenic systems due to thermal radiation. MLI consists of a series of uncooled reflective surfaces placed in the vacuum space between two surfaces, one warmer than the other. Generally speaking, for ideal...
September 26, 2011
Magnets
From “Superconductivity: Present and Future Applications” by the Coalition for the Commercial Application of Superconductors. Particle physics uses accelerators to recreate the conditions of the early universe in an attempt to piece together the complex puzzle of how we got to where we are today. These huge machines are used...
May 27, 2010
Energy Storage
From “Superconductivity: Present and Future Applications” by the Coalition for the Commercial Application of Superconductors. With power lines increasingly congested and prone to instability, strategic injection of brief bursts of real power can play a crucial role in maintaining grid reliability. Small-scale Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) systems, based on...
May 27, 2010
Astronomy
ASTRONOMY IN SPACE by Peter V. Mason, retired, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Visiting Associate, California Institute of Technology. Pmason@alumni.caltech.edu In thinking about the reasons to perform astronomy in space, we first consider the effect of the earth’s atmosphere. On a scale of decreasing energy, gamma rays, cosmic rays, X-rays and...
May 25, 2010
Cryocoolers
What is a Cryocooler? A mechanism that can extract heat from an object (cooler) and by doing so draw its temperature down below approximately 150 Kelvin (cryo). — (Courtesy Dr. Willy Gully) What is the difference between a Cryocooler and a Cryostat? A cryostat is any device designed to maintain...
April 13, 2010
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...
April 20, 2018
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...
April 20, 2018
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?
February 8, 2016
Using nitrogen as a cryogen
Is it possible to achieve -200˚C using nitrogen as a cryogen?
January 20, 2015





