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LHC cryogenics system: The challenge of keeping cool

The LHC is one of the coldest places on Earth, with superconducting magnets—the key defining feature—that operate at 1.9K. While there might be colder places in other laboratories, none compares to the LHC's scale and complexity.

IU physicist receives lifetime achievement award for particle accelerator work

The US Particle Accelerator School will present S.Y. Lee with its USPAS Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Accelerator Physics and Technology. Lee, professor in the Department of Physics at Indiana University Bloomington, will receive the award at the 2013 North American Particle Accelerator Conference held Sept. 29 to Oct. 4...

Report on 23rd International Conference on Magnet Technology (MT-23)

The twenty-third International Conference on Magnet Technology (MT-23) was held in Boston at the Westin Copley Hotel from July 14 through July 19. Dr. Bruce Strauss was the General Chairman of the conference; Joe Minervini of MIT served as the Program Chair; Larry Masur of Bruker was the Exhibits Chair;...

Professor John Clem dies August 2

Professor John Clem passed away on August 2, 2013, after a four-year battle with mesothelioma. He was known as the "father of the 2 dimensional pancake vortex."

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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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...