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New Method Produces Hydrogen at Lower Temperatures

Waseda University (Tokyo) scientists have developed a new fast and irreversible method for producing hydrogen that requires less energy and takes place at lower temperatures. The innovation, according to the research team, is expected to contribute to the spread of fuel cell systems for automobiles and homes.

Strong Signs of Quantum Spin Observed in Ytterbium Compound

Inside a new exotic crystal cooled to near absolute zero, physicist Martin Mourigal has observed strong indications of quantum entanglement, a theory so weird Albert Einstein lampooned it as "spooky action at a distance." Entanglement occurs when two particles, such as electrons, become intimately linked to one another even when...

BESSY II Experiment Cools 10 Million Ions to 7.4 K

Scientists at BESSY II in Berlin have developed an experimental method that cooled 10 million ions to 7.4 K for the first time. The new ion trap they created provides an opportunity to use cryogenic X-ray spectroscopy to study the magnetism and ground states of molecular ions. It is also,...

Brooks Automation Acquires Cool Lab, LLC

Brooks Automation, Inc. (CSA CSM) announced on Nov. 29 that it has acquired Cool Lab, LLC, a subsidiary of BioCision, LLC. Cool Lab provides a range of innovative, patented and patent-pending applications for sample cooling and freezing, controlled rate freezing, portable cryogenic transport and archival storage solutions for temperature sensitive...

New MRI Magnet Requires only 20 Liters of Helium

GE Healthcare has announced Freelium, a magnet technology that operates with 20 liters of liquid helium compared to the 2,000 liters needed by conventional MRI magnets. Hospitals using the technology, according to GE, would no longer require the extensive venting that often necessitates siting a magnet in a separate building...

India Set to Become Associate Member State of CERN

At an event on Nov. 21, Fabiola Gianotti, CERN's director general, and Sekhar Basu, chairman of the Indian Atomic Energy Commission and secretary of India's Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), signed an agreement admitting India to CERN as an Associate Member.

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Mixed Refrigerant Cycles

Most cryogenic refrigeration systems, both large scale systems and cryocoolers, use helium as a working fluid. There are a number of advantages to helium, not the least of which is that helium remains a fluid down to the lowest achievable temperatures. In order to freeze helium, pressures of over 20...

Fountain Pumps and He II Phase Separators

Helium II (He II), the second liquid phase of the 4He isotope described in this column in Cold Facts Spring 2010 (http://2csa.us/he2), can be modeled as consisting of two interpenetrating fluids. One, the superfluid component, has zero viscosity and entropy and the other, the normal fluid component, has nonzero viscosity...

Turboexpanders

A vital technology in the refrigerators and liquefiers described in Cold Facts Volume 31 Number 3 is that of turboexpanders. These devices are rotating machines in which the process fluid (e.g., helium) does work against the turboexpander while moving from high pressure to a lower pressure and thus is cooled....

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...

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...