Lake Shore Cryotronics' Director of Product Management for Cryogenic Systems Rachael Floyd shares how Lake Shore Cryotronics is helping reduce helium costs in the lab.
Aircraft carriers use highly concentrated gaseous and liquid oxygen for aviation and medical applications. These legacy systems consume large amounts of valuable ship space and require constant attention and adjustment to meet purity and production rates. With the development of USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) – the “first-in-class” nuclear-powered aircraft carrier designed to replace the aging Nimitz-class carriers in service for over 50 years – the Navy and its contracted partners determined an opportunity for improvement. By implementing a modern liquid oxygen plant in the new Ford-class fleet design, the Navy could achieve its key goals of reducing cost of ownership, decreasing operational manpower, and significantly reducing overall maintenance demands.
In the 1980s, John Cosier and Professor Mike Glazier from Oxford University pioneered the creation of an open-flow cooler, initially designed for exclusive use in Oxford University’s Clarendon Laboratory. Its remarkable efficiency quickly gained recognition within the crystallographic community, leading researchers worldwide to seek similar systems. Responding to this demand, Oxford Cryosystems was founded in 1985 to provide cryogenic solutions globally. Over the years, their cryogenic devices have become integral components in laboratories, beamlines, radio telescopes, and various other applications.
Embarking on the frontiers of innovation, ITER, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, heralds a new era with its superconducting magnets—a groundbreaking technological marvel designed to operate at an astonishingly low temperature of 4 K (-269 °C), just above absolute zero. ITER’s primary purpose is to explore and demonstrate the potential of nuclear fusion as a clean and sustainable energy source for the future. With the capacity to carry an immensely powerful electrical current, reaching up to 68 kA, these magnets are poised for rigorous testing within a specialized cryostat infrastructure. The question of how these first-of-a-kind components navigate such extreme conditions becomes a pivotal inquiry at the forefront of scientific exploration.
Scientists should spend their efforts on research, not on infrastructure! Scientists often need a reliable source of sub-kelvin cooling. Historically, because no reliable provider of such systems existed, many scientists were resigned to build their own. No longer. Identifying this unmet need in the science community, Danaher Cryo stepped up to offer several elegant solutions. Teaming with Chase Research Cryogenics (CSA CSM), Danaher has established a line of sub-kelvin cryostats that provide long-awaited, convenient solutions. One such system is the Model DC2 Pony cryostat that Danaher recently delivered to Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) (CSA CSM). The Pony incorporates Chase’s CC4 cooler, which provides continuous sub-kelvin temperatures.
In our annual “Women in Cryogenics and Superconductivity” feature, Cold Facts explores the profound contributions of outstanding women in the field. Drawing on its popularity, we wanted to have a candid conversation, reconnecting with a trailblazing woman in cryogenics, previously spotlighted as one of our “Women in Cryogenics.” In this interview, Angela Krenn, with over 21 years of experience at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, offers an insightful glimpse into the industry's evolution over two decades and her impact on space exploration. Currently serving as the principal technologist for Thermal Management Systems and Surface Systems in the Space Technology Mission Directorate, Angela is at the forefront of developing investment strategies and coordinating technology advancements across NASA. In her role, she seamlessly transitioned from a focus on cryogenics to overseeing all thermal-related technology developments for the agency. Angela's expertise extends from extreme cooling for rocket fuel efficiency to ensuring instruments’ function in lunar exploration conditions. A Florida native, Angela's childhood dream of working for NASA became a reality and her commitment to identifying gaps in thermal technologies reflects her dedication. With a remarkable career that started with a dream job working with liquid hydrogen, Angela continues to inspire as a leader in advancing NASA’s capabilities for future space exploration and as a powerful role model to industry women.
Blue Origin continues to take big steps forward with its New Glenn orbital rocket as hardware rolls out to the launch pad, cryogenic testing begins, and the BE-4 engine gains a new test stand. The company still aims to launch New Glenn at least once in 2024. Over the past month, Launch Complex 36 (LC-36) has seen a large increase in New Glenn-related activity, including two vehicles being rolled out of the integration facility and raised vertically on the launch mount, the first-ever publicly visible cryogenic tanking tests of New Glenn hardware, and pad upgrades to support future hardware testing.
Maybell Quantum (“Maybell”), the quantum infrastructure company, has closed a $25 million funding round led by an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. (“Cerberus”), a global leader in alternative investing. This investment marks the start of a pivotal chapter in Maybell’s development.
Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research at IFW Dresden, Germany, have found proof for surface superconductivity in a class of topological materials known as Weyl semimetals. Interestingly, the superconductivity, which comes from electrons confined in so-called Fermi arcs, is slightly different on the top and bottom surfaces of the sample studied. The phenomenon could be used to create Majorana states – long-sought after quasiparticles that could make extremely stable, fault-tolerant quantum bits for next-generation quantum computers. Meanwhile, another group at Penn State University in the US has fabricated a chiral topological superconductor by combining two magnetic materials. Majorana states might also be found in this new material.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the space agency of the government of India responsible for the country's space research and exploration programs, has achieved a major milestone in the human rating of its CE20 cryogenic engine, which powers the cryogenic stage of the human-rated LVM3 launch vehicle for Gaganyaan human spaceflight missions, with the completion of the final round of ground qualification tests. "ISRO's CE20 cryogenic engine is now human-rated for Gaganyaan missions," the space agency announced on 'X' on Wednesday.
In a groundbreaking collaboration, Lockheed Martin, Omni Tanker and UNSW Sydney have joined forces to pioneer and commercialize world-first composite tank technologies. This ambitious project, supported by a grant from the Federal Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC), aims to tackle the challenges associated with using composites for the transportation and storage of liquid hydrogen across various applications – from ground and air to underwater and space.
In 2023, Air Liquide set a new record by signing 62 new small gas production units directly installed on its customers' sites in the industrial merchant and electronics sectors in 2023. This growth reflects the increased demand for these solutions, and illustrates our capacity to meet customers' needs. They offer real advantages: a continuous, reliable supply of gas, adapted to each client's production needs and helping to reduce carbon emissions.
Cold atoms solve many problems in quantum technology. Want a quantum computer? You can make one from an array of ultracold atoms. Need a quantum repeater for a secure communications network? Cold atoms have you covered. How about a quantum simulator for complicated condensed-matter problems? Yep, cold atoms can do that, too.
A consortium of French shipping, vessel design and energy companies have achieved approval in principle for a new membrane tank-based transport system for liquid hydrogen, including both the underlying containment technology and an initial vessel design. GTT, the longtime leader in membrane containment systems for LNG carriers, has designed a new system for containing and transporting liquid hydrogen. This new membrane system has now achieved an approval in principle from BV. (GTT also holds approval from DNV for a system developed in concert with Shell.)
The Molecular Imaging Laboratory at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, with support from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, has added to its imaging repertoire a new ultra-high-performance positron emission tomography and X-ray computed tomography scanner, opening new possibilities for cutting-edge research.
Cryospain demonstrates its dedication to pioneering cryogenic equipment through the design and production of state-of-the-art super-insulated pipes for cryogenics employing high vacuum technology. Positioned at the forefront of progress toward a more sustainable future, Cryospain continues to assert its central role in advancing innovative solutions.
Two space infrastructure specialists, Space Machines Company and Spaceium, have joined forces to embark on what they believe to be the first-ever cryogenic refueling space mission in space in 2025. Under terms of a signed agreement, Canada’s Spaceium will integrate its cryogenic storage technology into Space Machine’s platform. Spaceium will then refuel Space Machines’ tanks with cryogenic fuel using stored reserves.
During the intense heat of summer and throughout the humid Florida fall, Airmen donned protective gear to handle, manage, and deliver over 19,000 gallons of liquid nitrogen at temperatures below minus 300 degrees Fahrenheit to support a three-month munition test at Eglin Air Force Base.
GenH2 has signed an agreement with the University of Melbourne to provide the Cryostat CS500 simulation platform for cryogenic and hydrogen R&D projects. GenH2’s Cryostat CS500 system is capable of testing a wide range of thermal insulation systems, materials, composites, or panels under both cryogenic-vacuum conditions and real-world conditions.