British researchers have, for the first time, built a prototype solid-state maser that works at room-temperature, with no permanent applied magnetic field.
I have to perform a cost estimation of our helium cryogenic plant design. I based it on the formula discussed in the following article “THE COST OF HELIUM REFRIGERATORS AND COOLERS FOR SUPERCONDUCTING DEVICES AS A FUNCTION OF COOLING AT 4 K” by M. A. Green: C(M$) = 2.6 [R(kW)]^0.63...
I would like to know how much heat energy liquid nitrogen contains per lb. In other words, per lb. of liquid, how many BTUs of heat would N2 absorb in the process of coming up to about 60F? I want to capture the cold energy of nitrogen as it vaporizes...
What are the options when it comes to software for thermophysical properties of helium at temperatures down to 1K? I know Hepak – is it still the most commonly used package?
I’m trying to collect some information about the refilling process of a helium cryogenic plant. Due to the physiologic losses I expect to have to foreseen a periodic refilling of helium. Our plant will be characterized by a refrigerator/liquefactor. A control cryostat with 4.5 K LHe coming from the liquefactor...
I have a 78″ ID vessel, 3/8″ thick shells, ½” heads, from SA-240-304L, which will have an ASME U-Stamp and I am planning on sub-arcing the seams and using pulse GMAW (ER308L for both) for the nozzles. I am comfortable with the SAW, but I am wondering about the best...
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 (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,...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
I would like to measure vibrations in small LHe cryostats. Could anybody recommend commercial sensors which would be suitable for the purpose? I am interested in the frequency range between 1Hz and a couple of KHz, with particular attention to the low frequency side.
In order to perform an indicative cost assessment of our helium cryogenic plant (still in the design phase), I need an estimation of the cost of carbon steel room temperature pure helium storage tanks. The storage pressure is 20 bar. Can anyone give me suggestions about how to estimate the...
In an actual experiment we would like to measure the static pressure in a cryostat in the range between one and four bar. Therefore we are looking for some (more or less) cheap pressure sensors that work in liquid helium in the pressure range up to five bar. Unfortunately all...
Can you suggest some reference textbooks for practical thermodynamics applications in cryogenic fields? I need textbooks with cryogenics calculations and examples, dimensioning procedures, second principle applications in cryogenics, heat load calculations, cryogenic pump application, etc. Do such books exist? Does any similar source of information exist?