cold facts 2015 vol31 no1

Volume 31 Number 1

AMERICAN ACADEMYOF ARTS & SCIENCES

| 32

Instrumentation and Controls ............................. 26Product Showcase .............................................. 30Calendar ............................................................. 41

Frozen Aliens and Superpowers: STEM Outreach... 8Glen McIntosh's Kryo Kwiz ................................. 13Boom Awardees Making Headlines .................... 24

WHENPERFORMANCE

AND RELIABILITYMATTER

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Join Our Growing Family of CSA Corporate Sustaining Members

Get connected to the cryogenic community worldwide. Let your voice be heard and your contributions known.

Abbess Instruments and Systems, Inc.

Ability Engineering Technology, Inc.

Acme Cryogenics, Inc.

Advanced Piping Products

Advanced Research Systems, Inc.

Aerospace Fabrication & Materials

Air Liquide advanced Technologies

American Magnetics, Inc.

AMSC

Amuneal Manufacturing Corp.

Argonne National Laboratory

Barber-Nichols, Inc.

Bauer Compressors

BellowsTech, LLC

Brooks Automation, Inc. Vacuum Products Division

Bürkert Fluid Control Systems

CAD Cut, Inc.

Cameron Valves and Measurement

CCH Equipment Company

Chart Inc.

Circor Cryogenics–CPC Cryolab

Circuit Insights LLC

Clark Industries, Inc.

Coax Co., Ltd.

Composite Technology Development, Inc.

Cool Pair Plus

Cryo Industries of America

Cryo Technologies

Cryoco LLC

Cryocomp

Cryoconnect, Div. of Tekdata Interconnections Ltd.

Cryofab, Inc.

Cryogas Tech Sdn. Bhd.

Cryogenic Control Systems, Inc.

Cryogenic Industries, Inc.

Cryogenic Institute of New England

Cryogenic Limited

Cryogenic Machinery Corporation

Cryoguard Corporation

Cryomagnetics, Inc.

Cryomech, Inc.

Cryonova, LLC

Cryotherm GmbH & Co. KG

CryoVac GmbH

CryoWorks, Inc.

CryoZone BV, a brand of DH Industries

CSIC Pride (Nanjing) Cryogenic Technology Co., Ltd.

DeMaCo Holland BV

DH Industries

DH Industries USA, Inc.

DH Industries India Pvt. Ltd.

DMP CryoSystems, Inc.

Eden Cryogenics, LLC

Essex Industries

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory

Fin Tube Products, Inc.

Flexure Engineering

Gardner Cryogenics

HPD

Hypres, Inc.

ICEoxford Limited

Independence Cryogenic Engineering, LLC

Indium Wire Extrusion

INOXCVA

Instant Systems, Inc.

International Cryogenics, Inc.

ISOFLEX USA

Janis Research Co., Inc.

Kadel Engineering Corp.

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Kelvin International Corporation

Kelvin Technology, Inc.

KEYCOM Corporation

L&S Cryogenics

L-3 Communications Cincinnati Electronics

Lake Shore Cryotronics, Inc.

Linde Cryogenics, Division of Linde Process Plants, Inc.

Lydall Performance Materials

Magnatrol Valve Corporation

Master Bond

Mesuron, LLC

MEWASA Ag, Inc.

Meyer Tool & Mfg., Inc.

Midwest Cryogenics

MMR Technologies, Inc.

Molecular Products, Inc.

NASA Kennedy Cryogenics Test Laboratory

National High Magnetic Field Laboratory

National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory—MSU

Nexans Deutschland GmbH

Niowave, Inc.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Oxford Instruments Omicron Nanoscience

PHPK Technologies

Precision Measurements and Instruments Corp.

Prentex Alloy Fabricators, Inc.

Quantum Design, Inc.

Ratermann Cryogenics

Ratermann Manufacturing, Inc.

Redstone Aerospace

RegO Products

RICOR USA

RUAG Space GmbH

Scientific Instruments, Inc.

SGD Inc.

Shell-N-Tube Pvt. Ltd.

shirokuma GmbH*

Sierra Lobo, Inc.

Spearlab Inc.

SPS Cryogenics BV

STAR Cryoelectronics

Stirling Cryogenics BV, a brand of DH Industries

Stöhr Armaturen GmbH & Co. KG

Sumitomo (SHI) Cryogenics of America, Inc.

Sunpower, Inc.

SuperPower Inc.

Technifab Products, Inc.

Temati

Tempshield Cryo-Protection

Thermax, Inc.

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility

TRIUMF

TS Italia SRL

V2 Flow Controls*

Valcor Scientific

WEKA AG

Wessington Cryogenics, Ltd.

*New member since last issue

Cold Facts | February 2015 | Volume 31 Number 1 www.cryogenicsociety.org5

Inside This Issue

Our cover shows the American Academy of Sciences' recent report, "Restoring the Foundation: The Vital Role of Research

in Pursuing the American Dream." Image: American Academy of Sciences

Sign Up Now for CSA's Space Cryogenics Workshop

8

16

36

22

20

On Our Cover

Frozen Aliens and Superpowers: STEM Outreach

GEMS High School Club Opens Doors for Girls in STEM

FEATURES

COLUMNS SPOTLIGHTS

12

34

15

Cryofab

SuperPower

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility

6

14

22

13

19

28

Executive Director Letter

Defining Cryogenics

Space Cryogenics

Kryo Kwiz

Cold Cases

Cryo-Oops

8

16

Salute to Long-Time Corporate Sustaining Members11

PEOPLE & COMPANIES

CALENDAR

3941

Boom Awardees Making Headlines

Technology Focus: Instrumentation and Controls

Product Showcase

Restoring the Foundation: The Vital Role of Research in Preserving the American Dream

Indium Corporation Commits to STEM Outreach

Nominations Open for 2015 CSA Awards

24263032

3635

38 World's Longest Superconducting Cable Works without a Hitch

IEEE Preserves Superconductivity's Past with OralHistory Series

21


Cold Facts Magazine

Executive EditorLaurie Huget

EditorKelsey Beachum

Advertising CoordinatorKim Durden

Online Marketing ManagerJo Snyder

CSA Board of Technical Directors

ChairmanJohn Weisend II

European Spallation Source (ESS)46 46-888 31 50

PresidentJames Fesmire, NASA Kennedy

Cryogenics Test Laboratory | 321-867-7557

Past PresidentAl Zeller

FRIB, MSU | 517-908-7395

President-ElectMelora Larson , Jet Propulsion Laboratory

818-354-8751

TreasurerRich Dausman, Cryomech, Inc.

315-455-2555

SecretaryJonathan Demko

LeTourneau University

Executive DirectorLaurie Huget

Huget Advertising, Inc. | 708-383-6220 x 302

Registered AgentWerner K. Huget, Huget Advertising, Inc.

Technical Directors

Kathleen Amm, GE Global Research

Lance Cooley, Fermi National AcceleratorLaboratory

Vincent Grillo, Cryofab, Inc.

Terry Grimm, Niowave, Inc.

Peter Shirron, NASA GoddardSpace Flight Center

Joe Snyder

William Soyars, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory

Sidney Yuan, The Aerospace Corp.

Our commitment to STEM education and research

You’ll find a lot in this issue about science, technology, en-gineering and math (STEM).

It’s at the heart of both the present and future for cryogenics and superconductivity. We’ve been actively engaged in this topic for a long time and we invite our members and readers to join us.

In Cold Facts and on CSA's web-site, we publicized “Rising Above the Gathering Storm,” a 2005 report sponsored by the US Congress and published by the National Academies that cautioned that “without a renewed effort to bolster the foundations of our [STEM] competitiveness, we can expect to lose our privileged position.” In 2010 we covered a follow-up entitled “Ris-ing Above the Gathering Storm, Revis-ited: Rapidly Approaching Category 5,” which noted, “in the face of so many daunting near-term challenges, US government and industry are letting the crucial strategic issues of US com-petitiveness slip below the surface.”

This issue of Cold Facts discusses a new report, “Restoring the Founda-tion: The Vital Role of Research in Pre-serving the American Dream,” released by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences that deals with STEM research and again emphasizes the crisis in American competitiveness.

Because we believe it behooves us as an association based on STEM to do our part to effect change, CSA has participated in several major STEM outreach events highlighting the value and need for STEM. In 2008-2009 we took part in “Science Chicago,” a year-long event billed as “the world’s larg-est science celebration.” We sponsored

a day at CSA CSM Meyer Tool and Manufacturing where students and the general public saw firsthand a high tech manufacturer that supplies some exciting international science projects. Jerry Zimmerman, Fermilab’s “Mr. Freeze,” a CSA member, put on his cryogenics show several times that day as well as at the inaugural day of Sci-ence Chicago, held at the Museum of Science & Industry.

We’ve brought Mr. Freeze to sev-eral area schools and even to the Ro-tary Club of Oak Park and River Forest to spread the word about science and cryogenics in particular.

Twice we’ve taken part in the Mu-seum of Science & Industry’s “Science Works: Cool Careers” day. We brought several professionals to the museum to tell young people about their jobs as engineers, physicists and educators. At both events, the excitement of the kids and the level of interest of so many students, parents and teachers was in-spiring.

With financial support from our members, in 2014 we had a booth at the gigantic US Science and Engineer-ing Festival in Washington DC where a CSA group met with hundreds of youngsters and their parents and intro-duced cryogenics though “cool” dem-onstrations. See the CSA website www.cryogenicsociety.org/news for photo galleries from these outreach events.

A related outreach effort is our interest in the role of girls and women in STEM. We’ve had several articles in Cold Facts on the subject, including the story about the girls of GEMS in this issue. Upcoming in our second issue of 2015 will be another article on women in cryogenics and superconductivity. We invite our readers to participate o r to nominate someone for this story.

Although CSA makes reasonable efforts to keep the information contained in this magazine accurate, the information is not guaranteed and no responsibility is assumed for errors or omissions. CSA does not warrant the accuracy, completeness, timeliness or merchantabil-ity or fitness for a particular purpose of the information contained herein, nor does CSA in any way endorse the individuals and companies described in the magazine or the products and services they may provide.

From the Executive Director

Randall Barron, ret. Louisiana Tech UniversityJack Bonn, VJ Systems, LLCRobert Fagaly, Quasar Federal Systems; SPAWARBrian Hands, ret. Oxford UniversityPeter Kittel, ret. NASA Ames Peter Mason, ret. Jet Propulsion Lab

Editorial BoardGlen McIntosh, McIntosh CryogenicsJohn Pfotenhauer, University of Wisconsin-MadisonRay Radebaugh, ret. NIST BoulderRalph Scurlock, Kryos Associates, ret. University of SouthamptonNils Tellier, NTCI, a Division of EPSIM Corp.

Cold Facts (ISSN 1085-5262) is published six times per year by theCryogenic Society of America, Inc.Contents ©2015 Cryogenic Society of America, Inc.

http://www.cryomach.com


by Jessica Spurrell, postgraduate research student, Institute of Cryogenics, University of Southampton, [email protected]

Frozen Aliens and SuperpowersOne scientist's approach to STEM outreach

Liquid nitrogen is cool. That’s a classic (and therefore hilarious) pun I like to get in before my audience does, but it’s also true. Liquid nitrogen is dramatic and a little bit dangerous, and its startling effects on everyday objects are immediate, making it a fantastic tool for science education and outreach.

When I tell people I work in cryogenics, the first thing they ask is whether or not I freeze dead people—or aliens. Of course, I immediately tell them that what they’re thinking of is “cryonics,” a completely different and much less exciting discipline (and if they ask about aliens, I ask if they’ve been watching a lot of The X-Files recently). This is the first advantage cryogenics has in engaging people in STEM subjects: It is already intriguing and otherworldly. Depending on the audience, you can describe the world of cryogenics as, for example, another, hotter planet where water is naturally found as a gas and has to be cooled by hundreds of degrees to be the liq-uid we recognize, or as a trip throughAlice’s Looking Glass to a place where everything is similar to the world around us but a little bit skewed, and that to understand it you need to think

a little bit sideways.

But as I often say to the people I’m wowing with science, let’s freeze something! That is the second brilliant quality cryogenics, and particularly demonstrations with liquid nitrogen, has in public engagement: If in doubt, freeze something and you’ll have the full attention of your audience straight away. Whether it’s a piece of rubber tube you can use to demonstrate the ductile to brittle transition of materi-als at low temperatures, a balloon that demonstrates both this transition and the reduction in volume of a gas on cooling, a banana you then use to

hammer a nail into a piece of balsa wood, or one of those squishy aliens in eggs that freeze surprisingly well (and that help justify the headline “Frozen Aliens and Superpowers”), the very fast cooling means that even those with the shortest attention spans can see and be inspired by science in action.

What’s more, being able to explain the fact that cryogenic freezing is much more interesting than putting things in your freezer at home is due to both the very low temperature and the in-creased heat transfer of liquid contact opens the doorway to many more in-teresting and enlightening discussions.

Typical high temperature superconductivity experiment often used in outreach demonstrations. A Nd-Fe-B magnet is levitated above a high temperature superconducting pellet cooled by liquid nitrogen. Image: Dan Goods

If in doubt,

freezesomething.You'll have the full attention of your audience straight away.


Which brings me neatly to the third and probably most abused rea-son I have for feeling thoroughly priv-ileged to be able to engage in public outreach as a cryogenic engineer: cryo-genics’ versatility. With a dewar of liq-uid nitrogen and a bag of props—or even without these things, as I found out when asked to give a talk in a local café as part of a new Researchers Café initiative in Southampton—you can discuss so many topics, including the very basics of solids, liquids and gases; heat transfer, material properties and engineering design principles; and all the way up to the very in-depth topic of superconductivity, which I gener-ally make an effort to get into any talk so I have an excuse to get out my favorite demo, the levitating magnet. There’s nothing quite so satisfying as seeing jaws actually drop on children, teenagers and adults alike as you use the superpowers of science to defy

gravity—except, perhaps, the act itself of making that little bit of magic hap-pen.

There are so many ways to get involved in public engagement and outreach and so many reasons to do so. It’s not just a case of increasing your “impact factor” or making sure your Research Excellence Framework report is better than those of compet-ing institutions. It’s not about reeling in the customers or students (though of course that doesn’t hurt). I could talk for hours about creating a more educated society, about engendering interest in the STEM subjects that are often left to “someone else” to do but upon which most aspects of our lives depend, or about inspiring the next generation—indeed, as a researcher, there’s little point in me doing what I do if there isn’t someone after me to carry on where I leave off and take it

to the next level. I could talk for even longer about the importance of all of us reaching out to all the members of society that STEM subjects have tradi-tionally bypassed, and here again cryo-genics is particularly demonstrative, with fantastic female role models such as Dr. Amalia Ballarino of CERN, Pro-fessor Lene Hau of Harvard University and Dr. Melora Larson of NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, to name but a few.

Outreach and the mysterious world of cryogenics go hand in protec-tive-gloved hand for a simple reason: What we do is, in more ways than one, very cool, and it’s part of human na-ture to want to share that with people. And with ice-breaking topics as great as frozen aliens and superpowers, which we can physically demonstrate as well as discuss, we’re lucky in that people generally want to share it with us, too. ■

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CSA Salutes Long-Time Corporate Sustaining Members

In the Spring 2011 issue of Cold Facts, CSA saluted five Corporate Sustaining Members who had been with us for the longest time. In this issue, we salute two more of our long-time members: Janis Re-search Company and MMR Technologies.

These companies had faith in the fledgling organization and have sup-ported us with their Corporate Sustain-ing Membership fees and advertising ever since. CSA is proud to highlight them here.

Janis Research CompanyJoined in 1988

Responses are from Dr. Munir Jirmanus, technical director.

What important changes have you seen in cryogenics and in the business world in general since you joined CSA in 1988?

The most dramatic change that has occurred since we joined CSA is the shift from using liquid cryogen systems to cryogen free systems in most experiments, except for the very sensitive scanning probe microscopy studies. This was ac-companied by a general shift to the use of ultralow temperature cryogenic systems (dilution refrigerators and He-3 cryo-stats), with a significant portion requiring ultrahigh vacuum environments.

What do you believe are the most important benefits you’ve received over the years from your Corporate Sustain-ing Membership in CSA?

Our Corporate Sustaining Member-ship in CSA helps in maintaining contact with the cryogenic community of scien-tists and increasing the exposure of Janis to this community. We also believe that we have contributed in a small manner to maintaining the continued growth and success of CSA throughout the years.

As an advertiser, what value do you place on Cold Facts?

Advertising with CSA has offered us the same benefits as previously dis-cussed—in company exposure and in supporting CSA.

What columns or columnists do you think are most valuable?

The Spotlight on Sustaining Members column.

Who would you list as most influ-ential in the world of cryogenics in the years since you joined CSA?

The developers of the 4K G-M and pulse tube coolers, along with the devel-opers of the ultralow temperature cryo-gen free dilution refrigerator and He-3 systems.

MMR TechnologiesJoined in 1989

Responses are from Dr. William Little,company president.

What important changes have you seen in cryogenics and in the business world in general since you joined CSA in 1989?

I have been struck by the impact the pulse tube refrigerators have had on the field of cryogenics—the temperatures they achieve and the excellent reliability they exhibit, as reported by the user com-munity. It was very different in the 1990s. There was a struggle to achieve just a few thousand hours of maintenance-free op-eration for small low-cost coolers. In 1996, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) funded a program to attempt to change this. They set a goal to demonstrate continuous maintenance-free operation for 3,000 hours with any such

cooler. We participated with three mixed refrigerant coolers designed for operation at 120K. There were five other participants with other types of coolers. Three were in the Fortune 500, but MMR was the only one with no failures. Ours achieved 120,000 hours of continuous, maintenance-free operation. None of the others achieved the 3,000 hour goal. It would be a different story today. What was learned from the DARPA program enabled us to operateat 80K, and at that temperature we have now been running continuously for 13 years maintenance-free. Others clearly fo-cused on long-life performance and have achieved it, and it is the norm today.

Other advances in this period have been the achievement of virtually helium free coolers for temperatures below 4K. These have opened the world of cryogen-ics to condensed matter and materials investigators without their having to be immersed in all the details of cryogen-ics. Likewise, high field superconductor magnets are now more readily available. These solutions to laboratories come at a high price. There is a growing need for smaller, lower-priced cryogenic systems, cryo-refrigerators and liquid nitrogen and liquid hydrogen generators.

What do you believe are the most important benefits you’ve received over the years from your Corporate Sustain-ing Membership in CSA?

Participation keeps one aware of ac-tivities and trends in cryogenics. It lets one know what one’s competitors are doing, and many of the articles by experts provide insight to parts of the field that are changing or emerging.

What columns or columnists do you think are most valuable?

I have enjoyed the Cryo Frontiers ar-ticles of Ray Radebaugh and Glen McIn-tosh’s crusty articles and comments.

Who would you list as most influ-ential in the world of cryogenics in the years since you joined CSA?

Klaus D. Timmerhaus. ■

SPOTLIGHT ON SUSTAINING MEMBER


News from CryofabCryofab Acquires Cryogenic Valve Supplier Cryocomp

Vincent and Gregory Grillo, co-pres-idents of Cryofab Inc., announced the acquisition of Cryocomp Inc., a designer and manufacturer of cryogenic and vac-uum valves and accessories located in San Luis Obispo CA. The new company will retain the Cryocomp name as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cryofab. Cryocomp products will now be manufactured at Cryofab’s headquarters in Kenilworth NJ.

“Cryofab has long desired to comple-ment our extensive product line with of-ferings in the cryogenic bayonet and VJ valve areas,” said Gregory Grillo. “When the opportunity arose to achieve this goal through the acquisition of a respected and well established organization already entrenched in such a market, it was dif-ficult to resist.”

Michael Capers has joined Cryocomp as director of sales, working out of a Vir-ginia office. www.cryofab.com

Vincent Grillo Jr. Joins Cryofab as Sales EngineerEducational Background:

Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering technology from Penn State University

Present company/position:

Sales Engineer, Cryofab, Inc.

What are your contributions to the cryo-genic field?

Assist in developing new and in-novative custom fabricated cryogenic dewars and transfer systems to meet cus-tomers’ needs.

What do you hope to see in the future?

I hope to see the continued explora-tion of cryogenic usage in all aspects of everyday life. Many times the average person may not know what cryogenics is unless it’s to ask about Walt Disney and how he may be preserved. It has been ex-citing to watch and be a part of develop-ments in the culinary kitchen world and see it becoming ever more accepted in aspects of surgery. With every new idea there is a bigger opportunity to bring cryogenics into the mainstream world.

How did you get into cryogenics?

I have been involved with cryogenics my entire life; it’s a family business.

Do you or did you have a mentor? Tell us about your experience with him/her.

I am fortunate to have several men-tors. My grandfather along with two partners started the company in 1971. My father and uncle now own the company, so I have been privileged to learn from two previous generations of cryogenic dewar and equipment manufacturers and engineers. I hope that I can continue their success of providing top quality cryo-genic storage and transfer equipment all over the world.

What goals are you setting for yourself as contributions to the company?

I have been given the opportunity to oversee some of our newer product lines as well as to assist in the sales of exist-ing products that have been responsible

for our success to date. It is in these new products that we see the most growth potential and where I think I can make the biggest impact. By pursuing new out-lets and new customers for our products, I can help ensure Cryofab's continuedsuccess. Being the third generation in-volved with the company, I want to do what I can to provide possible fourth and fifth generations the same opportunities for development, learning, pride and sense of accomplishment that I’ve expe-rienced.

What improvements or accomplish-ments do you hope to see/contribute to Cryofab?

We are always looking at ways to make our processes more efficient. In today’s current marketplace it is how we are able to stay competitive, while at the same time continuing to provide our cus-tomers with the highest quality products. We are able to achieve this on several dif-ferent levels. It can be as easy as keeping informed on new processes and produc-tion equipment available for purchase all the way to designing our own equipment. This latter option is something that I take personal pride in. We have been able to create several pieces of equipment to help streamline our processes, while at the same time creating cost savings and reduced lead times for our customers. These are impacts that have proven in-valuable to us and have helped our con-tinued growth year after year.

Cryocomp C2000 series globe valve


by Dr. Glen McIntosh, McIntosh Cryogenics, CEC Collins Awardee, CSA Fellow, [email protected]

Kryo Kwiz

Question: Kryowhiz designed a 500-gallon horizontal ni-trogen buggy. For ease of assembly, he designed the vent line to curve downward in the vacuum space and then run straight out through a stainless steel pantleg to the vent valve and relief assembly. When put on test, the external vent assembly frosted heavily and the dewar heat leak was excessive.

Upon observation, Frosty told Kryowhiz how to fix the problem without altering the vent line. What did Frosty sug-gest?

Answer: Frosty’s solution was to take a thin (0.254 mm), tightly fitting stainless steel strip and twist it with about one half turn in 50 mm. When inserted into the vent line it blocked the convection flow with little additional vent flow resistance. All of the frost and heat leak problems disappeared when the twisted strip was installed.

Editor's note: Because there was no winner for the December 2014 Kryo Kwiz, the January 2015 Kryo Kwiz asked the same question, as it illustrates an important cryogenic concept.

Question: Kryowhiz planned to subcool a two atmosphere liquid nitrogen loop by passing it through an evacuated nitro-gen bath held at 65K. When he made a trial run, the loop pres-sure immediately collapsed to about the same pressure as that of the bath. When asked, Frosty told Kryowhiz how to modify the loop to maintain pressure during subcooling without using helium or other pressurizing fluid.

What did Frosty suggest?

Answer from this month's winner: Provide a normal boil-ing point LN2 bath at the desired pressure (2 atm) that feeds through a check valve into the LN2 line just upstream of the heat exchanger. As the pressure drops, LN2 will be drawn into the circuit and immediately subcooled, making up for the loss in pressure.

This enabled the system to operate at about 100 psig and temperature below 70K.

Winner: Doug Rewinkel of Merritt Island, Florida, was the winner in January.

Could you have answered these questions correctly? Look for the Kryo Kwiz every month in our CryoChronicle e-newsletter. Subscribe at www.cryochronicle.com.

November 2014

January 2015

Dr. McIntosh says: Doug Rewinkel's proposed system will probably work. It must include a relief valve because pressure in the subcooled liquid will increase rapidly when it is allowed to warm up.

Frosty's solution: Re-route the vacuum jacketed return line to a system high point above the pumped subcooling bath. Then install a thin-wall stainless steel vacuum jacketed vertical extension for about 18 inches and install a warm tee with the nitrogen gas pressurization line on one branch and a relief valve on the other branch.

Below are some problems and their solutions from two past editions of our monthly e-newsletter, CryoChron-icle.

http://www.cryogloves.com


by Dr. John Weisend II, European Spallation Source, CSA Chairman, [email protected]

Defining Cryogenics

The coefficient of performance (COP) is used to describe the effectiveness of refrigerators, including those

operating at cryogenic temperatures. The COP is defined as the amount of heat re-moved at the cryogenic operating tem-perature of the refrigerator divided by the amount of work that must be applied to re-move the heat. If two refrigerators remove heat at the same temperature, the one with the larger COP will require less work (and ultimately less electrical power) to remove the same amount of heat. Generally speaking, with all other factors being equal, refrigerators with higher COPs have better performance and are more energy efficient. As will be seen below, however, comparison of COPs between refrigerators has to be done carefully and with a full understand-ing of the assumptions made in the COP calculation.

For most cryogenic refrigerators, the prediction of the COP is quite complicated and is dependent on both the specific thermodynamic cycle chosen and on the equipment used to implement that cycle in the refrigerator. However, for the ideal Carnot cycle, it can be shown that the COP is defined as Tc/(Th–Tc), where Tc is the cryogenic temperature at which the heat is removed and Th is the temperature at which the heat is rejected. Recall that the Carnot cycle is an ideal cycle and describes the most efficient cryogenic refrigeration cycle permitted by the laws of thermo-dynamics. The definition of COP for the Carnot cycle illustrates a very fundamen-tal aspect of cryogenics. Assuming that This almost always at or near 300K, then the COP for the Carnot cycle will increase as the temperature Tc increases. Thus, in any cryogenic system, it is always more ther-modynamically efficient to remove heat at a higher temperature. This fact drives a lot of design choices in cryogenics, includ-ing the use of intermediate heat sinks and actively cooled thermal radiation shields (Cold Facts Fall 2013).

The COP for a Carnot cycle refrig-erator operating between 300K and 4.2K is

given by 4.2/(300-4.2) or 0.0142. If we take the inverse of the COP (1/COP) we have a term that describes the number of Watts of work required to remove 1 Watt of heat at a given temperature. In the case of the Carnot cycle operating at 4.2K, the inverse of the COP is 1/0.0142 or 70 W/W. Thus, in the best possible case, it requires 70 W of work to remove 1 W of heat at 4.2K. Con-trast this to a Carnot cycle removing heat at 77K, where 1/COP is 2.9 W/W.

The Carnot cycle is an ideal cycle that can’t be realized with practical cryogenic refrigerators. The question then becomes, how close can real cryogenic refrigerators get to the COP of the ideal Carnot cycle? This is indicated by the figure of merit (FOM). The FOM is defined as the COP of a real cryogenic refrigerator divided by the COP of a Carnot cycle refrigerator operat-ing between the same temperatures (FOM = COPreal/COPcarnot). Modern large scale helium refrigerators operating at 4.2K gen-erally have a FOM of approximately 0.25 – 0.32. In some usages, the FOM is referred to as a percent Carnot; thus, a FOM of 0.25 may be called “25 percent Carnot.”

Small cryocoolers can have very low FOMs, in some cases less than 0.1. This illustrates an important point: While the COP and FOM of cryogenic refrigerators are important performance parameters, they are not the only consideration in choosing a given refrigerator design. Other considerations such as availability, capital cost, size, weight, operating temperature and capacity may be more or equally im-

portant. In general, high COPs are more important for larger-capacity refrigerators that require more energy to operate.

Comparing COPs (either measured or calculated) between different refrigerators should be done carefully with a full under-standing of the assumptions made in each case. For example, does the work required to remove the heat include items such as the power needed for cooling water circu-lation pumps or cooling tower fans? These

can be significant energy require-ments for large systems. Always en-sure that you are comparing systems with the same set of assumptions. Additionally, keep in mind that COPs may be defined or measured at a spe-cific operating point of the cryogenic refrigerator. However, many cryo-genic refrigerators, particularly those in research institutions, operate over a wide range of capacity. Modern cryogenic plants can be designed to operate over a wide range of capacity

A very good description of COP, FOM and the thermodynamics associated with cryogenic plants may be found in Cryo-genic Engineering by T. Flynn (Dekker 1997) and Cryogenic Systems by R. Barron (Oxford 1985). A discussion of COP and FOM for small cryocoolers can be seen in “Figures of Merit for Multi-Stage Cryocool-ers,” J. Delmas et al. Adv. Cryo. Engr. Vol. 55A (2010).

Energy efficiency in cryogenic sys-tems goes beyond COP and FOM values. Recent papers on this broader topic include “Energy Efficiency of Large Cryogenic Sys-tems: The LHC Case and Beyond,” S. Clau-det et al. Proc. ICEC 24-ICMC 2012 (2013), “Helium Refrigeration Considerations For Cryomodule Design,” V. Ganni and P. Knudsen, and “Waste Heat Recovery From The European Spallation Source Cryogenic Helium Plants—Implications for System Design,” J. Jurns et al., both in Adv. Cryo. Engr. Vol. 59 (2014).

Coefficient of Performance and Figure of Merit

How close can real cryogenic refrigerators get to the

coefficient of performance of the ideal Carnot cycle?

reduction without significantly reducing the COP.



Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe joined Thomas Jefferson National Accelera-tor Facility (Jefferson Lab) and federal, state and Newport News officials on September 26 to celebrate a major milestone in completion of the 12 GeV Upgrade Project on the Con-tinuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). The event marked the completion of accelerator and civil portions of the 12 GeV CEBAF Upgrade Project and continued com-missioning of the accelerator and the newly constructed experimental area, Hall D. The milestone, dubbed Critical Decision 4A, or CD-4A, by the US Department of Energy, was formally announced in August and was reached five months ahead of schedule.

McAuliffe described Jefferson Lab as an asset to the commonwealth and the nation, and said that scientific research and advance-ments can lead the way in helping to diversify the commonwealth. He commented on the importance of scientific research, high tech jobs, commercializing scientific advancements and patents, the many scientists who travel to Jefferson Lab to use its facilities, the lab’s science education outreach and the economic and societal impacts of having Jefferson Lab in Virginia.

Following the governor and speaking on behalf of the Depart-ment of Energy, Tim Hallman, associate director for nuclear physics of the Office of Science, commented on the 12 GeV Upgrade proj-ect’s importance for scientific advancement in the US. Hallman also thanked everyone for the work completed so far and acknowledged the work yet to be carried out before the project is fully completed in 2017.

Jefferson Lab Celebrates 12 GeV Upgrade Milestonefrom On Target, with permission

Project Manager Claus Rode (left) and Deputy Project Manager Allison Lung (at podium) were joined by Jefferson Lab Director Hugh Montgomery (middle) in recognizing vendors that provided components, systems or services critical to the project.

Along with observing this mile-stone in the $338 million upgrade, lab and 12 GeV Upgrade Project team lead-ers recognized several vendors who pro-vided critical support to the construction and new equipment installation.

The 12 GeV Upgrade is the first major addition and upgrade to the CEBAF accelerator and its associated experimental halls since construction began on the research facility in 1988. Work on new equipment in two of the three original experimental halls and other supporting additions will continue through 2017. All upgrades are designed to expand the scientific capabilities and reach of the original machine. The up-graded machine will provide the US and international nuclear and particle phys-ics communities with a tool that will be

used to carry out a scientific program exploring some of the most perplexing questions humanity has about the building blocks of matter—particles which make up all the visible mat-ter in our universe. www.jlab.org ■

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe discussed the economic and societal impacts of having Jefferson Lab in the state.

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Last fall, Laurie Huget, CSA executive director, and Kelsey Beachum, Cold Facts editor, enjoyed an evening at Lyons Town-ship South High School that included a cryogenics demonstration by CSA member Jerry Zimmerman, or “Mr. Freeze,” as he is known to audiences throughout Chicago-land.

Zimmerman’s shows are sponsored by his employer, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), a CSA CSM, where he is employed as an engineer. He does an excellent job of introducing the physics be-hind some of his more exciting cryogenics demonstrations.

Mr. Freeze was invited by the GEMS (Girls in Engineering, Math and Science) club at the high school, a group of about 99 girls interested in many facets of sci-ence, technology, engineering and math (STEM)—interests as wide as robotics, biol-ogy, medicine, tree identification, botany, engineering and physics. The group was founded by senior Madeline Bernstein, its president. She first became aware of the gender gap in science education when her seventh grade science teacher told her that girls’ and boys’ brains work differently, and that if science wasn’t for her, she could become a writer. She began to notice the dif-ferent attitudes toward the sexes in the hard sciences. “When I got to Lyons Township, I noticed that in many of my engineering classes and higher level math, science and computer classes, there were many more boys than girls. This gap prompted me to start GEMS,” Bernstein said.

We asked several GEMS members about their own experiences in STEM and for their advice to girls who want to follow a STEM career. Their feedback gives insight into the influences that can help young people, and especially girls, to persevere de-spite the setbacks society presents to them.

The GEMS girls’ interests in science were fostered by family members and friends who showed a strong interest in sci-ence, grade school and middle school teach-ers who encouraged them, strong support from many of their high school teachers, various summer classes at Northwestern University’s Center for Talent and Develop-ment and competing in the Illinois Science Olympiad, they reported.

Bernstein, who recently earned a per-fect ACT score, spent last summer intern-ing at Fermilab, an experience that she says “cemented my interest in physics and in science.”

Julia Kiely, a GEMS member, said, “From GEMS I...learn new things and meet people who are just as inspired as I am by science...I think the club is an amazing way to get girls interested in new forms of sci-ence or to uphold their interests in the sci-ence they have already fallen in love with.”

“I truly believe in the club’s mission of promoting STEM to females during high school to ingrain in them that if they are interested in science they can succeed and overcome any gender-related obstacles,” said GEMS member Diana Kobkes. “I hope to spend time doing fun and interesting sci-ence activities...I hope to learn about differ-ent careers I would never have considered, and broaden my scientific horizons as a female,” she added.

Faculty sponsor of GEMS is Callie Pogge, who teaches biology and physical science at Lyons Township. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in science edu-cation from the University of Notre Dame and a masters in curriculum and instruc-

tion from Concordia University. Her own middle school mentor was the teacher of the Talented and Gifted program who spon-sored a Girls Group that brought girls to-gether to talk about the challenges of being a high-achieving female.

The GEMS girls and their teacher had some excellent advice for grade school and high school girls interested in STEM ca-reers—how to handle discouragement and how to find support.

Kobkes suggests that these students find a teacher they enjoy and learn a lot from and get to know that person well. “A strong student-teacher relationship can function as a good support system to turn to if they become discouraged...If they truly want to pursue science, then nothingshould stand in the way...[do] not let a hard class or prejudice get in the way.” She said that she meets challenges and strives to re-fute those who might look down on her for being a girl and question her ability to do well in STEM by proving them wrong.

Bernstein advises girls “to never accept lower standards and to always do the best that you can do. No matter what path they choose, there will always be obstacles…handle adversity and setbacks with confi-

GEMS High School Club Opens Doors for Girls in STEM

Fermilab Engineer Jerry Zimmerman, a.k.a. “Mr. Freeze,” gave one of his unique cryogenics demonstrations at Lyons Township High School last fall. Image: Chicago Museum of Science and Industry


dence, persistence and determina-tion.”

Kiely has focused on success-ful female scientists who advised that what matters is being confi-dent and “pulling your weight,” and that passion for the task pre-vails. She sees science as “almost a gift in my life,” which has inspired her daily. Support from other girls her age or talking to female scien-tists who have succeeded and “are now continuing careers in what was and still is a male-dominated subject” have helped her to realize that being a girl “cannot hinder what you love to do…you can be anything you want to be when you grow up!” She also advises girls to find someone who is like-minded (in her case, her brother) so “you always know you have someone who will listen to you!”

Pogge advises girls to reach out to a support group. “Being surrounded by other girls and mentors who have an interest in STEM can be very inspiring. It also helps to

introduce girls to various careers and STEM fields.” She encourages girls to be fearless and not be afraid to excel.

The GEMS girls have had a very busy year so far. They visited Professor Ka Yee Lee in the chemistry department at the Uni-versity of Chicago, where they also toured

the physics lab and learned about using an electron microscope and many intriguing research projects.

An exciting development is the GEMS club’s outreach to el-ementary and middle school girls. They hosted three tables with ex-periments for young students—ink chromatography, penny cleaning and oobleck—at a recent Science Night held at Pleasantdale Ele-mentary School. Three GEMS girls also visited a local middle school to speak with girls interested in science and their parents. Pogge said, “They shared their excite-ment about science and informed the students of science and math opportunities at our high school.”

Several girls are interested in complet-ing a science or engineering project for the Percy Julian Symposium in April, to be held at Oak Park and River Forest High School in Illinois. They are meeting with members of Graduate Women in Science to brainstorm project ideas, Pogge said. ■

GEMS girls visited Professor Ka Yee Lee in the chemistry department at the University of Chicago.

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by Dr. Bill Schwenterly, retired Oak Ridge National Laboratory, [email protected]

Cold Cases

In an earlier column I gave the formula for calculating the pressure drop ΔP for a fluid flowing through a pipe,

(1)

where f is the Fanning friction factor, m is the mass flow, L is the pipe length, ρ is the fluid density, A is the flow area, and De is the so-called hydraulic diameter. De is given by

(2)

where C is the inside circumference of the tube, independent of its shape.

Did you ever wonder how this expression for De comes about? Me neither, up until now. But I recently got curious and started digging into various fluid dynamics course materi-als I found on the Internet [1], [2]. The pressure drop appearsbecause the non-zero viscosity of the fluid transmits a shear force τ per unit area through the moving fluid to the pipe wall. A velocity profile across the pipe diameter forms w ithin a short distance to the pipe entrance. Beyond this distance, the profile doesn’t change and the flow is said to be fully developed. The fluid velocity is zero at the wall and maximum at the center of the pipe. Consider a cylindrical element of the fluid centered in the pipe, with radius r. and length l. The pressures at the front and rear of the element in the flow direction are respectively p1 and p1 – Δp. As shown in the figure below from [2], the force on the front of the element is p1 π r 2 and the force on the rear of the element is – (p1 – Δp) π r 2. For constant flow velocity, the net force on the element of Δp π r 2 is balanced by the shear forceτ 2 π r l. Thus, we have

(3)

Since Δp/l is independent of r, then so is 2 τ/r. So, τ must be proportional to r, varying from zero at the r = 0 to τw at the wall. This leads to

(4) x = 2 xw r / D

From (3), we then have

(5)

If the pipe is not circular, the shear force might vary around the circumference, but we can define an average shear τw

av. If the pipe circumference is C and the flow area is A, we can go through the same argument as used for (3), replacing π r 2 with A and 2 π r with C. This gives us

(6)

Thus, a non-circular pipe with an A / C ratio of D / 4 will have the same pressure drop per unit length as a round pipe of dia-meter D, leading to (2).

It’s easy to see that a round pipe’s De equals its actual dia-meter, and that a square pipe with side D also has this same De. But you can also show that a regular polygon with any number of sides circumscribed around the outside of a circle with diameter D has a De of D. Less obvious but also easy to prove is that this is even true of any irregular polygon, no matter how irregular, as long as all its sides are tangent to the circle. I’ve never seen this fun fact in any text, but I suppose it’s been previously realized. I don’t have enough room here, so I’ll leave the proofs of these as an exercise for the reader. You might object that we have not specified τw anywhere, and that a really irregular polygonal pipe with a couple of very long sides may not have the sameτw

av as the round pipe. I won’t argue with you—perhaps some of you professors out there know of some experimental work in this area, or would like to assign your students an experiment to compare the pressure drop along such a pipe with a round one. Keep me posted!

A rectangular duct with sides h and w has a De of4 h w / (2 h + 2 w) = 2 h / (1 + h / w). If the aspect ratio h / w is much less than 1, this reduces to 2 h, which would be charac-teristic of a parallel-plate heat exchanger with plate spacing h.

An annular duct with inner and outer radii a and b has a De of 4 π (b 2 – a 2) / 2 π (b + a) = 2 (b – a). Thus, De is just the differ-ence between the diameters.

This might surprise you—consider a large tube-in-shell heat exchanger with n tubes of diameter d. The De of the tube section in this arrangement is n π d 2 / n π d. Thus the hydraulic diameter is that of just one tube! Such heat exchangers need a lot of tubes if the pressure drops must be kept low.

References1. University of Minnesota, Mechanical Engineering 5341, www.me.

umn.edu/courses/me5341/handouts/essay9.pdf

2. J. Mitroy, Charles Darwin University, Engineering 247, www.cs.cdu.edu.au/homepages/jmitroy/eng247/sect09.pdf

.


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IEEE Preserves Superconductivity's Past with Oral History Series


The Institue of Electrical and Elec-tronics Engineers (IEEE) History Center has undertaken an ongoing series of oral histories with prominent individuals in the field of superconductivity, the first group of which was done in August 2014. The project aims to help preserve the his-tory of applied superconductivity and the Council on Superconductivity (CSC).

The Oral History sub-committee for CSC is comprised of Sheldon Hochheiser, institutional historian and archivist, IEEE History Center; Peter Lee, IEEE CSC ar-chivist; Martin Nisenoff; and Michael Green. They will work directly with IEEE to incorporate the histories into the IEEE archives and website.

Hochheiser noted in a presentation that oral histories are less reliable in terms of facts and dates but excel at “why” questions, which are the hardest to find in written records.

“In doing a series of oral histories with senior people in the field of su-perconductivity, the council and I have preserved much otherwise unavailable information on the evolution of the field over many years and the role that these leading scientists and engineers played in that evolution,” said Hochheiser.

The CSC has published Hochheiser's interviews with René Flükiger, Yukikazu Iwasa, Moises Levy, Alexis P. Maloze-moff, Arnold Silver and Theodore Van Duzer. The committee plans to continue the interviews at each Applied Supercon-ductivity Conference. The IEEE History Center has also approved a limited num-ber of interviews outside of ASC, which will likely be conducted at the IEEE His-tory Center in Hoboken NJ.

Transcripts of the IEEE CSC oral his-tory interviews can be found at http://ethw.org/Oral-History:IEEE_Council_on_Superconductivity_Interviews.

René FlükigerFlükiger, working mainly at the

University of Geneva and at Karlsruhe, studied the metallurgy and structure of

a variety of superconducting materials and then applied that knowledge to the production of superconducting wires and tapes.

Yukikazu IwasaBorn and raised in Japan, Iwasa

earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees at MIT. He has spent his entire career at the Francis Bitter Magnet Lab there, where his work has focused on the the study, development and design of su-perconducting magnets.

Moises LevyLevy's research, chiefly at the Univer-

sity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, focused on the intersection of ultrasonics and super-conductivity. He also played a central role in the development and evolution of the IEEE Council on Superconductivity.

Alexis P. MalozemoffMalozemoff spent the 19 years of

his career at IBM research, where he was best known for the co-discovery of the “giant flux creep” and the irreversibility line in high temperature superconduc-tors. He spent the remainder of his career at American Superconductor, where he was in charge, among other activities, of AMSC’s rise to a leading role in high temperature superconducting wire and its applications.

Arnold SilverSilver is best known for his role in the

invention of the Superconducting Quan-tum Interference Device, better known as the SQUID, while working at the Ford Motors Scientific Lab. He later continued his work with superconducting electronic devices as a scientist and administrator at the Aerospace Corporation and TRW.

Theodore Van DuzerVan Duzer spent his long career at

the University of California-Berkeley de-veloping superconducting devices and circuits. He was also the founding editor of the IEEE Transactions on Applied Su-perconductivity. ■

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Space Cryogenicsby Dr. Peter Shirron, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, [email protected]

The first Planck results are in, and it appears the universe isn’t giving up its secrets easily. That’s not to say that Planck hasn’t been an extremely success-ful mission; it most certainly has been. Co-launched in May 2009 with the Her-schel satellite and inserted in orbit at L2 several months later, these two instru-ments have been the first to make long-term observations with detectors cooled to the deep sub-kelvin regime. The Planck detectors operating at 100 milli-kelvin were the coldest known objects outside of Earth for the almost three-year mission duration—though the Herschel bolometers cooled by a He-3 sorption cooler (Duband, CEA-Grenoble) were a close second at just under 300 milli-kelvin. More important than setting temperature records, the outstanding science return has clearly established the superiority of cryogenic detectors,yielding, for example, the most detailed maps of the spatial variations of the cos-mic microwave background (CMB) to date.

Planck’s two instruments, HFI (High-Frequency Instrument) and LFI (Low-Frequency Instrument), were designed for measurements at frequencies that spanned the spectrum in which the CMB peaks, with the capability to quantify both the intensity and polariza-tion of primordial photons. The HFI's bolometers were cooled by an open-cycle dilution refrigerator developed by Air Liquide, operat-ing at 100 millikelvin, precooled by a 20K hydrogen sorption cooler provided by NASA/JPL.

Over the HFI’s lifetime, which ended after the helium-3 supply was exhausted in January 2012, it completed more than nine full sky surveys. Since that time, the mountains of data collected have been in the process of being ana-

lyzed into various data products, which includes the recently pub-lished map of local dust density shown below. This map was eagerly awaited since the an-nouncement in early 2014 that the BICEP2 instrument operating at the South Pole had made the first definitive observations of B-mode polarization of remnant light from the Big Bang, con-firming the existence of gravity waves through their imprint on the CMB.

BICEP2 received such prominent at-tention—and intense scrutiny—because the results represented a significant con-straint on theories describing the infla-tionary expansion of the early universe. BICEP2 yielded a surprisingly large value for r, which represents the ratio of the power in the polarized portion of the CMB spectrum to the total power, of 0.2. Most inflationar y models predict values in the range of 0.03-0.05.

Planck results shed light on BICEP2

Planck's full-sky map grades regions of lower (blue) and higher (red) interstellar dust—and shows that the patch observed by the BICEP2 telescope (rectangle) was not among the least dusty. The left panel shows the northern Galactic hemisphere and the right panel shows the southern one.

The all-but-inescapable conclusion is that BICEP2 measurements were too

heavily contaminated with polarized light from

local dust to yield any information about the CMB.

It was known that ground-based measurements of B-modes in the CMB were especially challenging because polarized light reflecting from dust in the atmosphere cannot easily be distin-guished from true cosmic remnants. To minimize the corrections that needed to be made, BICEP2 made its observations over a region of space near the South Pole—literally a window into the CMB—that was believed to be relatively trans-


parent, with low dust density and, importantly, low emission of polarized light.

The announcement of the BICEP2 observations generated immediate excitement—and skepticism—and gave rise to the need for independent confirmation of local dust densities and emission spectra. That would come from Planck, and in Sep-tember 2014 its sky map was released.

As it is, the map does indicate that the region probed by BICEP2 is among those with low dust density. But the den-sity was still far higher than assumed. The all-but-inescapable conclusion is that BICEP2 measurements were too heavily con-taminated with polarized light from local dust to yield any in-formation about the CMB. The search for primordial B-modes must—we might say fortunately—go on. Although the Planck map identifies regions of even lower dust density, it appears that there are no areas where significant corrections due to local dust emission would not have to be made.

The difficulty involved in making true observations of pri-mordial B-modes is now apparent. Although plans are moving forward for a BICEP3 instrument at the South Pole, the uncer-tainty that surrounded BICEP2 suggests that quantitative mea-surements of the polarization of the CMB are likely achievable only from an orbital platform. At present, several large-scale

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The Cryogenic Society of America is very proud of the recipients of our Roger W. Boom Award, which is given to young persons showing promise for important contributions to cryogenic engineering and applied superconductivity. Over the years since 1996, when the first Boom award was

made to Dr. Christopher Rey, we have watched as our award-ees have moved ahead in their fields, living up to the promise the Boom awards committee saw in them. For this issue, we caught up with several Boom awardees and asked them to update us on the specifics of their career advances.

Since winning the Boom Award in 1998, Professor Schwartz has remained active in re-search related to high temperature supercon-ducting magnets and materials. In 2003, his group, in collaboration with Oxford Supercon-ducting Technology, was the first to generate a magnetic field of 25 T using an HTS insert, a result that helped lead to worldwide inter-est in high field superconducting magnets. In 2004, Schwartz was named a Fellow of the In-stitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) “for contributions to high temperature superconductors and magnet systems,” and in 2015 he was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science “for distinguished contributions to the field of applied superconductivity, particularly for the advancement of high magnetic fields and for

the integration of experiment and computa-tion.” In 2004 he also served as the chair of the Applied Superconductivity Conference, and from 2005-2012 Schwartz served as the editor-in-chief of the IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity. He and his collaborators were also the recipients of the 2012 and 2013 Van Duzer Prizes, awarded by the IEEE Coun-cil on Applied Superconductivity for best paper in the IEEE Transactions on Applied Su-perconductivity. Schwartz remained at Florida State University until 2009, at which time he moved to North Carolina State University to become the Kobe Steel Distinguished Profes-sor and head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, positions he contin-ues to hold today.

Prof. Jeffrey Parrell

1998

Boom Awardees Making Headlines

In the past few years, Dr. Wang has been focusing on the development of liquid helium solutions to combat the worldwide helium shortage. He has developed and commercial-ized small-scale helium liquefiers based on the 4K pulse tube cryocoolers for the first time in the world. These liquefiers can liquefy helium at rates from 15 to 60 liters per day. Hundreds of laboratories all over the world have benefited from these small helium liquefiers that can re-cycle more than 99 percent of the helium and reliquefy, enabling the laboratories to produce their own liquid helium supply.

Wang also developed and commercial-ized helium reliquefiers by using 4K pulse tube cryocoolers. These reliquefiers can be installed

into existing liquid helium cryostats to build a closed helium cycle. Many applications around the world, such as wet PPMS, MPMS, dilution refrigerators and superconducting magnets, have been installed with these reliquefiers, without needing to be refilled with liquid he-lium.

Wang has recently made a few more inno-vations on cryogenic refrigeration. He invented a 1K closed cycle system with extremely low vibration and an extra low vibration 4K cryo-stat. These systems have been used in some applications to replace liquid helium. New cold helium circulation systems have been de-veloped by his team to provide remote cooling with very low vibration.

Dr. Chao Wang

2000

Since the time of the Boom Award in 2006, Dr. Parrell continued to develop Nb3Sn, Nb-Ti and HTS conductors for a variety of applications. In his present role as VP/general manager at Oxford Superconducting Technology (OST) in Carteret NJ, he has worked with his OST colleagues to develop and successfully produce internal tin Nb3Sn for the ITER toroidal field magnets. They are also currently working to complete R&D for Nb3Sn strands for planned upgrades to the LHC at CERN.

2006

Prof. Justin Schwartz


Since receiving the Boom Award in 2004, Dr. Grimm was a key contribu-tor to the design team for the Facility for Rare Iso-tope Beams, now under construction at Michigan State University. In 2005 Grimm founded Niowave, Inc., to develop commercial applications of supercon-ducting electron linacs. As president and senior scien-tist, Grimm leads Niowave in its efforts to focus on four primary commercial markets: medical isotope

production, high power X-ray machines, free electron lasers and high intensity neutron sources. Niowave has experienced dramatic growth since 2005 and has expanded twice, nearly doubling its test-ing and production facilities.

In 2010 Niowave became the first private laboratory in the world to demonstrate a photoelectron beam from a superconduct-ing accelerator, and in 2012 became the first laboratory in the world to accelerate a beam with a superconducting spoke structure. Nio-wave has been the recipient of numerous local, state and national awards, including being named a 2010 Department of Energy Small Business of the Year and receiving the 2010 IEEE Award for Entre-preneurship in the field of Applied Superconductivity. ■

Dr. Terry Grimm

2004

Dr. Nellis received the Boom Award in 2008. Since that time he has worked on writ-ing two textbooks, Heat Transfer and Thermo-dynamics, with his co-author Sanford Klein. These textbooks are the first to tightly integrate the subject matter with computer tools and therefore allow students to tackle much more interesting, real-world engineering problems than are typically possible in undergraduate classes. He is currently working on the second edition of the book Cryogenic Heat Transfer with Professor Randall Barron. Nellis’ research continues to be primarily in the area of cryo-genic refrigeration cycles, with recent projects

focusing on magnetic refrigeration, pulse-tube regenerators and mixed-gas Joule-Thomson (MGJT) cycles. Over the last several years, two test facilities have been constructed in the Cryogenic Lab at the University of Wiscon-sin that are dedicated to MGJT research. The first is a two-stage MGJT system that is fully instrumented and flexible, allowing the cycle to be run with various working fluids and over a range of operating conditions. The second is a heat transfer test facility capable of precisely measuring the multi-phase, multi-component heat transfer coefficient over a range of cryo-genic conditions.

2008

Dr. Joel Ullom 2012Dr. Ullom leads the Quantum Sensors

Project at the NIST Boulder Laboratories. His group’s research spans a number of areas re-lated to superconducting sensors and milli-Kelvin cryogenics. One current project is the detection of ultrafast structural dynamics using a laser-driven X-ray plasma source and a high resolution X-ray spectrometer built from an array of transition-edge microcalorimeters. An-other project is the construction of an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR) precooled

by a two-stage pulse tube and a Helium-3 sorption cooler. The Helium-3 unit provides a300 mK heat intercept that allows the connec-tion of multiple coaxial cables to the cold stage of the ADR. This refrigerator architecture will be useful for the development and dissemina-tion of cryogenic sensor arrays read out using microwave techniques. A final project is the de-velopment of large arrays of superconducting millimeter-wave polarimeters for studies of the cosmic microwave background.

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TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

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CSA's Short Coursesat CEC/ICMC

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Practical Thermometry and InstrumentationDr. Scott Courts, Lake Shore Cryotronics

Superconducting Radio Frequency SystemsDr. Rong-Li Geng, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility

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Foundations of Cryocoolers and Space ApplicationsDr. Ray Radebaugh, ret. NIST, and Dr. Ron Ross, ret. Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Full-day course early, $390 • regular, $415 • students and retirees, $210

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The Technology Focus is new for 2015 and will feature a different topic in every issue this year.

Iris Technologies

Instrumentation and Controlscomplete suite of “plug-and-play” cryocooler control electronics architected to support both traditional life-long space and tactical cryocoolers with applicability spanning from microsats to deep space astronomy. The Iris Cryocooler Electronics (ICE) product line extends from 25 Watts to over 800 Watts, with exceedingly efficient, precise servo-controllers that are fully radiation hard yet affordable.

Iris Technologies’ success in cryocooler technology can be traced back to 2006 with the introduction of Modular Advanced Cryocooler Electronics (MACE). Through support from the Mis-sile Defense Agency and Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), MACE is now at a TRL of 5, a significant milestone given the high power and technical complexity of the design. While maintaining its modularity, MACE includes all the features necessary for even the most advanced sensor programs, including capabilities of driving up to five motors, producing over 800 W of exported power, active vibration control and capturing an extensive array of telemetry.

Following the success of MACE, Iris Technologies developed a scaled-down set of electronics for AFRL called Low Cost Cryocooler Electronics (LCCE) for cryocoolers of 100 W and less, without such features as active vibration cancellation, not typically required for low-cost applications. LCCE modularity was experimentally veri-fied through successful operations with over nine different cryo-coolers from many vendors, including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, AIM, Thales, Ricor, Sunpower and Creare. The LCCE was qualified to TRL 6 in October 2013 and has since been baselined on several space flight programs.

Following the LCCE accomplishments, NASA joined ICE de-velopment efforts, awarding a contract to incorporate active vibra-tion cancellation and input current ripple filtering into a second generation LCCE, or LCCE-2. Active vibration cancellation is im-portant for imaging payloads because the exported vibration from the cryocooler can be a major contributor to overall image jitter. Current ripple filtering will provide the ability to safely operate the cryocooler system on virtually any spacecraft power bus by pro-tecting the cryocooler system from transient effects and reducing the current ripple that would be imparted back onto the bus as a result of running an AC load. The cost of this design is only slightly higher than with full featured electronics. TRL 6 space qualification of LCCE-2 is planned for the end of 2015.

Iris is currently working on several new LCCE variants, includ-ing a 200 W extension of the LCCE-2 called the high power HP-LCCE and a 25 W miniature mLCCE. Both are on track for TRL 6 qualification around the end of 2015. HP-LCCE basically extends the practical utility of the LCCE line for high power applications. The mLCCE enables development of a cubesat-compliant cryocooler system solution. The mLCCE is required for the utility of cubesats and microsats to expand to include high performance mid-wave infrared and short-wave infrared sensors.

High TRL cryocooler electronics solutions from Iris Technolo-gies are now available to span almost the entire range of space cryo-coolers. Emphasis on maintaining modularity remains a forefront perspective in the company’s development of advanced cryocooler electronics solutions. www.iristechnology.com ■

Past industry and government efforts to develop cryogenic refrigeration system (“cryocooler”) technology have unfortu-nately often overlooked the electronics required to drive the cryo-coolers, much to the detriment of the United States government space infrared sensor customer community. A multitude of fac-tors that include climbing costs, extensive timelines and technical risks for a space-ready cryocooler system are driven by the low Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the control electronics. The present electronics approach across the industry centers on cus-tom point-designs to meet each mission need. This drives up costs and results in long development timelines for each new system, both of which are inconsistent with the procurement needs of cost-sensitive space flight missions.

Delivering modular, scalable space cryocooler electron-ics that are broadly applicable to a wide range of cryocoolers and payloads has been Iris Technologies' focus. Breaking the paradigm of point-design solutions, the company developed a

http://www.cryogenicsociety.org

http://www.chartindustries.com

Good heat exchanger design needs to

consider more than just the area and

temperature difference.


Important lessons learned from past mistakes

by John Jurns, Senior Cryogenic Engineer, European Spallation Source, [email protected]

Cryo-Oops

Heat Exchangers: A Big Topic

I had the privilege of attending the 6th International Workshop on Cryogenic Operations (Cryo-Ops) last November,

hosted by the Science & Technologies Facili-ties Council Daresbury Laboratory, located outside Manchester, England. The purpose of this workshop is to “provide a periodic forum for research laboratories and indus-try to present and discuss current tech-nological advancements, operability and maintenance experience of large cryogenic plants in the support of the physics research community or of industrial production.”

It was a rather cozy event, with fewer than 100 people from all over the world in attendance. It was a great opportunity to lis-ten to talks on very practical issues regard-ing operation of cryogenic facilities. Many of the talks dealt with problems that came up during operation and how they were solved—that is, lots of “oops.” One obser-vation I note that seems to hold consistently true is that the smaller the group or event, the more opportunity for interaction, and the more people are willing to share not only their successes but also their problems. I think I am going to suggest to the organiz-ers that they rename the workshop “Cryo-Oops” instead of “Cryo-Ops.”

One conversation I had there related to an issue with a heat exchanger. This got me thinking back about several other heat exchanger problems I've encountered over the years, so I thought that I would devote this column to that topic.

BackgroundHeat transfer is obviously one of the

most important topics in cryogenics, and I would venture to say that there is hardly a single cryogenic operation that does not in-corporate some form of heat exchanger in its design. Whether you are an industrial gas supplier filling high pressure gas cylinders from a liquid dewar, a cryoplant cooling down and liquefying helium from a warm gas compressor, a user of medical oxygen, or a hundred other applications, you prob-ably have a heat exchanger somewhere in your system.

And heat exchangers come in dozens of different configurations—shell and tube, plate fin, electric, water bath, ambient air finned tubes, free convection, forced con-vection, boiling liquid, condensing liquid, liquid to liquid, liquid to gas, gas to gas—well, you get the idea. It is a big topic.

Sizing a heat exchanger can involve some rather complex calculations better cov-ered in an engineering text. However, when doing preliminary calculations to determine the size of a heat exchanger, I often find it convenient to use the overall heat transfer coefficient “U.” U is a relatively easy factor to use. As you can see from the equation below, if you know U and two of the other three values, you can easily calculate either heat transfer rate “q,” heat transfer area “A,” or temperature difference “ΔT.”

q = U A ΔT

U is of course a simplification, and is calculated based on thermal conductivity of the fluids and heat exchanger, Reynolds and Prandtl, numbers, etc. There are many tabulations of values for U depending on the fluids, type of flow, whether or not one side or the other is boiling or condensing, empirical constants, etc. In fact, U can vary over several orders of magnitude! Choosing the correct value of U is often not obvious, and the tendency is to use a conservative value, which may result in a larger heat ex-changer than required. I remember early on in my career, I had gone through the tedious process of calculating a value for U (back in the days of book tabulations for fluid and material properties, and HP-35 calculators). An older colleague looked over my shoul-der after I was done and said, “Oh, we just

always use a value of 1 for U” (warning, this was also back in the day when some of us were using English engineering units, so take this number with a grain of salt).

So, having talked about some of the po-tential pitfalls, let’s look at a few examples.

Ambient heat exchangerBack in the 1980s, I was involved in a

project where our company had a contract to provide high pressure nitrogen gas to a hypersonic wind tunnel facility for a gov-ernment laboratory. The design was rela-tively straightforward—liquid nitrogen was pumped from a dewar by means of a high pressure reciprocating pump to a finned tube ambient air heat exchanger, through some controls to the user facility. As I re-call, the facility required something like 400 bar pressure, 0.1 kg/sec. flow rate. We had purchased an aluminum finned tube heat exchanger with stainless steel tube inserts (to take the high pressure) from a cryogenic equipment supplier. The heat exchanger was rated for the appropriate capacity (or so we thought). Soon after the hardware was installed, we got a call from the users because the nitrogen temperature was con-sistently dropping after start-up, forcing them to stop operations. I traveled back to the site to inspect the hardware. I could find no obvious problems in the configuration, so I was stumped as to what was causing the lower than expected performance.

Next step? Call the manufacturer! I rang up the company that sold us the heat exchanger and explained our situation. They suggested a simple fix that solved our problem. I think we reconfigured the heat exchanger piping so we had all the finned tubes in series instead of the original con-figuration with a number of parallel pas-sages. Unfortunately, the exact solution is lost in the mists of time. I no longer have any records of that project and have started to lose trust in my memory for events three decades ago. However, I did recently send a note to the same company to see if they had any recollection of this project, and al-though they also didn’t have any specific re-cords, they offered the following comments:


“Too many parallel paths in the ex-changer results in a very low internal heat transfer coefficient and cold fluid exiting the exchanger. A balance must be struck be-tween pressure drop and heat transfer. Often the customer will demand low pressure drop; this will require that the exchanger be larger to make up the difference for the low heat transfer rate.” (Thanks to RobWorcester of Cryogenic Experts for the tip!)

SubcoolerThe years flew by, and I next found

myself working on an aerospace research project. The project was to subcool, or “den-sify,” liquid oxygen. The idea was that if you can increase the density of a cryogenic propellant, you can squeeze something like5 percent more mass into the same vol-ume—a significant improvement for rocket ships where every kilogram of mass counts.

We were using liquid nitrogen as a surrogate fluid to study oxygen densifica-tion (nitrogen was much safer to use and provided reliable test results that could be applied to oxygen). We had a subcooler that was configured as a large shell and tube heat exchanger. We transferred 77K liquid nitrogen through the tube side of the heat exchanger and then into a receiver vessel. We also had liquid nitrogen on the shell side. The liquid nitrogen bath in the shell side was vented to a vacuum system. We re-duced the pressure on the bath, reducing its temperature below the NBP level, thereby providing cooling to the nitrogen flowing through the tube side.

Our problem arose after operating for a short time. We found that the vapor line connected to the vacuum system was get-ting too cold, causing us to have to shut down the vacuum system. After some anal-ysis and discussion, we determined that the problem was that we were entraining drop-lets of liquid nitrogen into the vapor line. The pumping speed of our vacuum system apparently resulted in high enough gas ve-locity to pick up some of the liquid.

The solution to this problem was rela-tively straightforward. We installed a baffle plate over the vapor vent line, which pre-vented liquid from being sucked up into it. Baffles are a common feature of shell and tube heat exchangers, and you may wonder why it wasn’t designed originally with this feature. Remember my last article? I men-tioned that often, cryogenic equipment is uniquely designed for a specific application, and we may not have the luxury that other

industries have, where a company produces hundreds or thousands of units and can work out all the bugs over time. The overall design of the heat exchanger was OK, but this one little detail ended up having a no-ticeable effect on performance.

Plate heat exchangerThis last example was given to me at

the Cryo-Ops conference. I was talking with a colleague about a problem he ran across a number of years ago with a brazed plate heat exchanger in a helium cryoplant cold box. The heat exchanger had a number of parallel passages manifolded together on each end. It was oriented with horizontal flow passages, and it was sized correctly. However, the aspect ratio of the heat ex-changer was such that as the helium flowed through it, since the passages were mani-folded together at the end, the colder fluid tended to settle to the bottom part of the heat exchanger, reducing the effective area where heat transfer could occur.

If I recall correctly, the solution to this problem was to reorient the heat exchanger so the flow passages were vertically ori-ented, eliminating the unbalanced flow through the heat exchanger passages. An-other possible solution would have been to keep the flow passages horizontal, but ro-tate the heat exchanger 90 degrees so there would not be a large distance between the top and bottom of the heat exchanger.

Lesson learnedSo here we have given just a few ex-

amples of what could possibly go wrong with a heat exchanger. There are so many opportunities to screw up, it boggles the mind. However, we are professionals, so

let’s keep our head on our shoulders and consider a few important points.

Lesson one: Be careful when systems operate in a range you are not familiar with. For example, if you are working with super-critical fluids, don’t count on boiling heat transfer coefficients—supercritical fluid doesn’t boil! A heat exchanger that is per-fectly adequate with one set of conditions may not work as well when your ambient or fluid conditions change.

Lesson two: Good heat exchanger de-sign needs to consider more than just the area and temperature difference. Things like flow orientation, pressure drop, tem-perature and flow gradients, parallel or series flow passages, location and ambient conditions can make a big difference.

Lesson three: Experience matters. Many heat exchanger manufacturers have developed very good methods for predict-ing the performance of their equipment. Take advantage of their experience. Also, look for other similar systems and instal-lations to find out what lessons they have learned. One nice thing about the cryogenic community is that it is small enough that it is relatively easy to track down information on other systems.

ConclusionIt is hard to draw any single conclu-

sion from a topic as large as this. There are numerous texts written on heat transfer and heat exchanger design, and those are valuable resources. Also, as I mentioned, manufacturers have a wealth of experience on their products and can help you in your search for the right heat exchanger. Don’t forget to search the literature. There are many papers written on this topic, and you can certainly benefit from others’ research. Finally, keep some contingency planning in mind when designing a system with heat exchangers. A simple thing like having enough room to add to or modify your heat exchanger piping is a good idea. Build your system with access—a flange or porthole strategically placed can make accessing and reconfiguring hardware much easier if a fix is required.

As always, we invite you to share any of your “oops” stories with us. Feel free to send them in to Kelsey Beachum at [email protected], and we’ll try to in-clude them in this column. ■


Product ShowcaseIn the interest of enhancing the value of Cold Facts and helping prospective customers to find cryogenic products and services, we’ve added this new Product Showcase to the magazine. Response was so strong to our first Product Showcase in the 2015 Buyer's Guide that we now invite companies to send us short releases (200 words or fewer) with high resolution JPEGs of their new products to be included in all issues of 2015.

QdriveSTIRLING CRYOCOOLERS FOR 50-150K

Qdrive manufactures low vibration, no maintenance, highly reliable, acoustic Stirling (pulse tube) cryocoolers for appli-cations in the 50K to 150K range requir-ing cooling loads from watts to kilowatts. Each unit is driven by two of Qdrive’s renowned STAR linear reciprocating mo-tors with clearance seal pistons, providing wear-free operation with no lubrication required. The dual opposed motor/piston design within the pressure wave genera-tor (PWG) is naturally balanced, reducing vibration and noise.

Oerlikon LeyboldVacuumCOOLVAC 60.000 SERIES

The COOLVAC series of cryo pumps is comprised of gas-binding vacuum pumps for the high vacuum pressure range of 10-3 mbar to 10-11 mbar. These pumps work on the principle that gaseous substances be-come bound to cold surfaces inside the pump by cryogenic condensation, cryosorption or cryo trapping. Oer-likon Leybold Vacuum manufactures exclusively refrigerator cooled cryo pumps. www.oerlikon.com/leyboldvacuum

Teledyne Hastings InstrumentsHPM 4/5/6 VACUUM GAUGE

The HPM 4/5/6 portable vacuum gauge, a hand-held, battery-operated digital vacuum gauge, is based on the VT/CVT series of Hastings gauges that have served customers for over 50 years. These gauges are known for their exceptional stability, accu-racy and reliability under the most demanding conditions. Designed for portability and ease of use in applica-tions where AC power is not readily avail-able, this new gauge features a bright, easy-to-read graphical display and allows the user to easily select units of measure (Torr, mbar and Pa). Front panel buttons enable switching between DV-4 (0.1-20 Torr), DV-5 (0.0001-0.1 Torr), and DV-6 (0.001-1 Torr) Hastings vacuum gauge tubes. The lightweight unit operates with a standard 9 volt battery and meets MIL-STD-810G Method 514.6 vibration testing for ruggedness.

Digital circuitry is used to power the vacuum gauge tube and convert its sig-nal output for display. The HPM 4/5/6 features a precision A/D converter along

with a microprocessor to measure the thermocouple vacuum gauge tube’s sig-nal output. The microprocessor converts the measurement to a pressure reading by employing the gauge tube’s well-defined output/pressure relationship. The device can be calibrated from the front using an in-system vacuum tube at known vacuum or out-of-system using a Hastings refer-ence tube.

The HPM 4/5/6 is compatible with three of THI’s most popular vacuum gauge tube families: DV-4, DV-5 and DV-6. Tubes are matched and interchangeable without calibration adjustments. They are compensated for temperature and rate of temperature change and are corrosion re-sistant. www.teledyne-hi.com

Qdrive’s design is completely absent of cold moving parts or seals, eliminating

maintenance that is required of most other technologies. When mass load-ing at the cooled point is of concern, Qdrive offers a remote head system, separating the PWG from the cold-head, which further reduces vibra-tion. To improve power consumption and increase versatility, each cooler is designed to be adjusted on-the-fly to match varying cooling load require-ments. These advantages are accom-panied by competitive pricing in both small and large quantities, making them ideal not only for laboratory use but also for HTS, medical, liquefaction and military and aerospace applica-tions. www.qdrive.com


Oxford InstrumentsOPTISTAT™ DRY

The OptistatDry is a Cryofree® opti-cal cryostat specifically designed for low temperature spectroscopy applications. Its unique design makes it one of the most ver-satile and flexible cryostats on the market.

The OptistatDry allows optical spec-troscopists to cool their samples to less than 3K without the need for liquid cryo-gens. Low temperature spectroscopy experiments can be time consuming and difficult to set up, so the OptistatDry has been designed with customers’ experi-ments in mind, making integration quick and easy. For example, the stand has fix-ing points to mount directly onto both metric and imperial optical benches. The novel, patent pending, puck-style sample holders make electrical connections to the

sample straightforward. Sample change is done with the cryostat in-situ, through the load port, eliminating the need for remov-ing the cryostat from the optical bench and then having to realign optics when setting up again. Through this attention to detail, OptistatDry minimizes the time taken from setting up the new cryostat to obtaining the first experimental results and between sub-sequent experiments.

The OptistatDry is extremely versatile. It can be used for a wide range of spectros-copy applications, including Raman, FTIR, fluorescence, photoluminescence and UV/visible. Its modular design also means that the cryostat can be upgraded at a later date as experimental needs evolve. Users can easily add from a wide range of wir-ing options and sample holders, and even upgrade to future models without having to buy a completely new cryostat. www.oxford-instruments.com

ConvalCRYOGENIC VALVES FOR APPLICATIONS TO -420˚F

Conval, a global leader in high performance valves for the world’s most demanding applications, offers Clampseal Cryogenic Valves for high pressure, low temperature applications to -420°F. This is below

the temperature at which nitro-gen liquefies, and the tempera-ture used in many cryogenic processes in liquefied natural gas, manufacturing, heat treat-ing and vaporizing.

Clampseal Cryogenic Valves are available in 1/2" through 4" sizes with socket weld, butt weld or special ends. Pressure ratings include ASME class through 2500#, ASME B31.3, ASME B16.34, and MSS SP-84. Standard materials in-

clude forged stainless steel and SA 182 F316. Special pressure classes and materials are available. Features include metal-to-metal pressure seal bonnet, solid Stellite seating surfaces, single-piece gland, in-line servicing and two-year warranty.www.conval.com

Turbines, Inc.TMC Cryogenic Turbine Flow Meters

TMC Series Cryogenic Turbine Flow Meters are made from stainless steel body, shaft and supports with a nickel rotor in all available line sizes. Turbines, Inc. cryogenic flow meters come with a documented ± 0.5 percent calibration and temperature

range of -450°F to 450°F. Up- and downstream flared transition piping with brass nuts and sleeves allows for an easy, gasket-less direct seal with the turbine. The CDS1000 Totalizer is de-signed and manufactured in the USA specifically for cryogenic applications. Each unit includes temperature compensation, Bluetooth communication to a full-service wireless printer to the customer's system, as well as pump cavitation protection. www.turbinesincorporated.com

CryofabHAND-LOC HOSE SYSTEM

Cryofab’s new and inventive hose product incorporates an easy-turn handle system directly with the hose so that any operator or technician can quickly and easily attach a cryogenic fill line to any liquid container. The Hand-Loc hose can be custom-ized to accommodate all of the client's filling needs. www.cryofab.com


“Restoring the Foundation: The Vital Role of Research in Preserving the Ameri-can Dream” is a 154-page report released by the American Academy of Arts and Sci-ences (AAAS) that reinforces many of the findings and recommendations of the 2005 report “Rising Above the Gathering Storm.”

The earlier report focused on the causes of America’s dwindling leadership in sci-ence, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and ways of “energizing and em-ploying America for a brighter future.” It was sponsored by the US Congress and written by a distinguished committee headed by Norman Augustine, former CEO of Lockheed Martin and Undersecretary of the US Army. (Editor’s note: See Cold Facts, Winter 2011, pages 14-16, for an interview with Augustine on the update to that report. http://2csa.us/ct)

At the September introduction of “Re-storing the Foundation,” there was strong consensus that it is absolutely vital that this report be given wide circulation and that the AAAS and committee members work

diligently to implement its recommenda-tions. Since then, the Academy has imple-mented a multilayered approach to build support for the report’s recommendations among stakeholders in government, indus-try, academia and philanthropy. Among the project’s ongoing efforts are collaborations with scientific and business organizations; media outreach; conversations with leaders in Congress and at federal research agen-cies; and forums, roundtable discussions and symposia at universities and public halls across the nation.

An op-ed piece from “Restoring the Foundation” committee members and Nobel laureates Tom Cech and Steven Chu ran in the Wall Street Journal. An online essay was authored by Augustine, Lane and Duke University Dean of Medicine Nancy Andrews.

A workshop on national laboratory partnerships was held in Chicago in No-vember and two public symposia were scheduled for February. “Replenishing the Innovation Pipeline: the Role of University Research,” was held at Stanford University on February 3, featuring Ann Arvin (Stan-ford), Jonathan Fanton (AAAS president), Peter Kim and Carla Shatz (both Stanford).

A symposium was planned for Febru-ary 24 at Duke University entitled “The Unstable Biomedical Research Ecosystem: How Can It Be Made More Robust?” Partic-ipants were Andrews (Duke), Tania Baker (MIT), Richard Brodhead (president, Duke), Fanton, Mark Fishman (president, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research), Sally Kornbluth (Duke), Harold Varmus (direc-tor, National Cancer Institute) and Susan Wente (provost, Vanderbilt University).

Other workshops and symposia are being planned and meetings are being ar-ranged with members of Congress from both major parties to discuss the report and explore possible mechanisms for bipartisan cooperation on research issues. ■

Scientific and

technological

advances are

fundamental

to the

prosperity,

health and

security of

America.

The US is failing to keep pace with competitors' investments in R&D. Among OECD nations, the US ranks tenth in R&D intensity (national R&D investment as a percentage of GDP). Image: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Restoring the Foundation:The Vital Role of Research in Preserving the American Dream


Photo key

The AAAS has organized a robust outreach plan to encourage implementation of "Restoring the Foundation."

Above, top left, committee members and AAAS president Fanton meeting with NGO leaders on the report rollout day.

Top right, Norman Augustine, and below him Dr. Neal Lane, co-chairs of the report committee.

Middle right, participants at the roundtable on national laboratory partnerships held in Chicago in November. Left to right: US Representative Randy Hultgren (R-IL), Lane (hidden), Fanton, US Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL), Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory Chief Operating Officer Tim Meyer, Fermilab scientist Pushpa Bhat and Argonne National Laboratory Director for Strategy and Innovation Gregory Morin.

Bottom right, former congressman Bart Gordon, Augustine, Lane (at podium), seated with microphone, former congressman Rush Holt, with Fanton behind him.

Download a copy of this report at http://2csa.us/co. A video of the testimony at the introduction ceremony can be seen at http://2csa.us/cp.



SuperPower Inc. has established com-prehensive capabilities for testing various types of mechanical and electromechanical properties of its 2G HTS wires to further as-sure the performance of its 2G HTS prod-ucts and to make continuous improvement towards producing more robust supercon-ducting wires.

Customers around the world are utilizing SuperPower’s 2G HTS for the development of a variety of electric and elec-tromagnetic devices. The applications in-clude high field magnets, SMES, motors and generators, high current cables, fault current limiters and more. During the fabrication, thermal cycling and the operation of these devices, a 2G HTS wire is always under the effect of a combination of stresses that origi-nate from mechanical, thermal and/or mag-netic sources. The superconducting property of a 2G HTS wire is affected by the applied stresses and strains, depending on the types and magnitudes. Understanding the me-chanical and electromechanical behaviors of 2G HTS wires is very important to the

design, fabrication and operation of a HTS device. With their unique architecture and Hastelloy substrates, SuperPower 2G HTS wires have superior mechanical properties that meet the harshest mechanical require-ments from applications such as high field magnets, Roebel cables and CORC cables. “The unique properties of SuperPower’s 2G HTS conductor, such as its high mechanical strength and electrical performance, are key factors in the NHMFL’s project to build the first 32 T all-superconducting magnet,” said Project Leader Dr. Hubertus Weijers of Na-tional High Magnetic Field Laboratory.

For many years, SuperPower has been collaborating with other research institutes for the characterization of the mechanical and electromechanical performance of its 2G HTS wires and working continuously on establishing its own testing capabilities. Su-perPower is also working closely with such organizations as IEC/TC90 to ensure the testing methods utilized comply with the applicable standards. Upon the completion of a recent internal project, SuperPower now

has the capabilities to perform the mechani-cal and electromechanical tests under either the longitudinal or transverse tensile stress. The electromechanical tests are carried out at 77K in liquid nitrogen with the critical cur-rent measured under a stress. In addition to the anvil tensile tests, SuperPower uses pin-pull tests and peel tests to study the mechan-ical behaviors of the 2G HTS wires under a transverse tensile stress. The minimum dou-ble bending diameter of a wire is determined by a bending test in liquid nitrogen.

With the establishment of new testing capabilities, SuperPower will be able to pro-vide more mechanical and electromechani-cal property data to its customers to support their applications. The testing results are also used internally for the optimization of its wire processing and to further improve the robustness of the products. SuperPower is currently working on building setups for compressive testing and twist testing and will continue its efforts in establishing its mechanical and electromechanical testing capabilities. www.superpower-inc.com

SuperPower Improves Testing for 2G HTS Wires

http://www.ricor-usa.com


We urge you to honor achievements in cryogenics by sending in nominations for these awards, to be presented at the upcoming CEC/ICMC in Tucson. Nominations will be accepted until May 1, 2015.

Robert W. Vance AwardThe first award ever presented by the society, the Robert

W. Vance Award was established in 1996 to honor dedication and long-term commitment to the advancement of CSA. The Vance Award is usually given every odd-numbered year.

Nominees should be mem-bers of the cryogenics com-munity who have been active in the field. The nomi-nee must currently be a CSA member in good standing with continuous member-ship for the past three years.

Fellows of the Cryogenic Society of America

Fellows of the Cryogenic Society of America are persons of distinction in cryogenics who have made notable valuable con-tributions to the field. Such contributions need not be in research; however, they must be of significant magnitude to justify the honor of Fellow.

Nominees must have demonstrated loyalty to and support for the growth of CSA through continuing active participation in the society's activities, either in the local chapters or nationally through involvement in short courses, program committees, etc.

Nominees should be senior members of the cryogenics com-munity, active in the field for 15 years or more. They must also currently be a CSA member in good standing with continuous membership for the past three years

New this year

William E. Gifford AwardThe William E. Gifford

Award is named in honor of Dr. Gifford, co-inventor of the Gifford-McMahon cycle and founder of Cryomech, Inc. It will be presented for the first time in 2015. This award is given to a recipient in academia or a government laboratory using a pulse tube or Gifford-McMahon cycle cryocooler as a key research component. Nominees must be CSA members in good standing.

Award for Excellence in Cryogenic Research

This award is given for research contributions in a particular area leading to a major scientific advancement in the cryogenic field, e.g., discoveries of applicable new properties of materials; development of theoretical models explaining or predicting the behavior of fluids, materials or other systems at cryogenic tem-peratures; or research focused on subatomic particle physics in the cryogenic regime.

Nominees should be members of the cryogenics community who have been active in the field for five years or more. They must have had at least one paper relevant to the contribution published in a peer-reviewed venue and be a current CSA member in good standing with continuous membership for the past three years.

George T. Mulholland Memorial Award for Excellence in Cryogenic Engineering

This award is named in memory of George T. Mulholland, who served on the CSA Board as secretary and was a Corpo-

rate Sustaining Member of CSA. The award is given for a notable engineering devel-opment in a particular area leading to a major contribu-tion in the cryogenic field, e.g., markedly increasing cryocooler efficiency, devel-oping a novel cryogenic sys-tem for fusion applications, or improving biomedicine by using cryogenics. The applicant must have had at least one paper relevant to the contribution published in a peer-reviewed venue.

Award for Excellence in Cryogenic Operations and Support

This award is given for excellence in establishing, improving or simplifying processes in cryogenic operations from small-scale to large-scale facilities or for excellence in the development or implementation of techniques involving the fabrication, join-ing, assembly, wiring, checkout and/or operation of cryogenic systems, from laboratory research apparatus to large-scale com-mercial machinery. Official recognition of excellence by the applicant’s employer, customer or other peers is a condition of granting the award.

Nomination procedures and requirements for each award can be found at www.cryogenicsociety.org/about_csa/awards.

Nominations Open for 2015 CSA Awards


As a designer, manufacturer and purveyor of sophisticated assembly ma-terials, we at Indium Corporation are all about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). In fact, STEM is such a critical aspect of our existence that vir-tually every one of our 800 employees deals with technology concepts on a daily basis—even those seemingly far removed from our core engineer-ing, R&D and operations cells. In essence, we are living proof that STEM is pervasive in today’s world, affecting nearly everyone. In our com-pany, STEM familiarity is de rigueur.

Of course, enthusi-asm for, and doing busi-ness in, science-related fields has always existed. Decades ago, technolo-gists existed in well-known, small clusters, primarily at universities. Companies mostly sat back and waited for the technologists to come to them as demand spread by word of mouth.

Today, in any city throughout the world, you rub shoulders with all sorts of scientists and technologists on a daily basis. This is because so many jobs and careers now require a strong command of STEM. There is some conjecture as to whether there is, in fact, a shortage of properly trained people to fuel our burgeoning need for STEM-oriented thinkers and doers. I’ve read articles with titles ranging from “US Tech Worker Shortage Looms” [1] and “There Is in Fact a Tech-Talent Shortage and There Always Will Be” [2], to “The Myth of the Science and Engineering Short-age” [3] and “Study Finds No Shortage of High-Tech Workers in US” [4]. Regardless of whether there is, or is not, a shortage of STEM-trained job candidates, one thing is fact: We will all be better served if and when the best-suited individuals embark on STEM-related careers.

The question is simple: How do we get the best candidates to pursue careers in STEM? How do we feed the pipeline with

the most motivated, the most enthusiastic, the most passionate and the most capable individuals? The answer is simple, as well: We need to encourage and enable every student to explore STEM, as early as pos-sible, and make it inviting and rewarding for them to do so. Simply said, but not so easily done.

I recently read how schools may be discouraging girls from pursuing STEM [5]. I shuddered when I learned that, “ac-cording to the National Center for Women and Information Technology, African-American and Latina women make up only 3 percent and 1 percent, respectively, of the computing workforce.” In this ar-ticle , lack of access to STEM experiences and encouragement was cited as a factor.

A 2010 Bayer Corporation survey re-vealed that “significant numbers of today’s women and under-represented minor-ity chemists and chemical engineers (40 percent) say they were discouraged from pursuing a STEM career... at some point in their lives” [6].

According to an article in Fortune, “Of roughly 10,000 computer science bach-elor’s degrees handed out in 2013, women earned 14 percent, blacks earned about 4 percent, and Hispanics earned 6 percent, all increases from 2012” [7].

We are in need of enthusiastically pro-ficient technologists, for all sorts of mean-ingful roles, yet we are not encouraging every possible person to explore this field?

Another issue that limits STEM partic-ipation is the notion that it’s all about cod-ing, or physics, or chemistry, or calculus. Let’s spread the word that there are degrees

of STEM, and thousands of ways to be involved or associated with it. Sure, hardcore scientists (mo-lecular biologists and the like) are welcome, but they need assistants, skilled and savvy HR personnel, equipment maintenance people, buyers and clerks who all understand the concepts and the jargon. A tech company needs people with a huge range of skills and interests, each familiar to varying de-grees with STEM. The op-portunities to participate are endless.

Put it all together and we see the opportu-nity, and need, for a great many people from diverse

backgrounds to fuel our need for technol-ogy advancement. To make inspired and meaningful tech advancements, we must attract the best and the brightest to our teams. We are obligated to reach out, espe-cially to young students. When we show them a positive and inviting path to a ful-filling life in STEM, we can minimize any barriers to entry and nurture their talents and skills. Eventually, they will enable our organizations to excel.

How?

Step 1: Don’t wait. Reach out and make it happen. Most communities offer businesses the opportunity to be involved with educational institutions. Find your path into local high schools and colleges. Even elementary schools!

In 2012, Indium Corporation earned the Oneida-Herkimer-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) Shining Star Company Award for our work

Indium Corporation Commits To STEM Outreachby Rick Short, director of marketing communications, Indium Corporation, [email protected], and Jim McCoy, talent acquisition coordinator, In-dium Corporation, [email protected]

Classmates gather to watch as Adam Kessler uses electrical current to ignite NanoFoil® during a tour of the Indium facility.


with their School and Business Alliance. This recognition was for our dedicated activities in provid-ing job-shadowing opportunities to students. Students and teachers attend tours of our facilities. Our speakers bureau opens opportunities for our staff to be in-vited into classrooms to discuss their ca-reers. We helped found the local ob-servation of National Manufacturing Day, designing in a strong focus on STEM. Throughout the year, we hire interested and interesting students for summer positions. We fill internships and we offer job-shadowing experiences. Both instructors and students gain insight into the range and depth of career oppor-tunities. They replace their outdated or misinformed notions of what a career in industry, manufacturing, and/or STEM is all about. They see how fun it can be. They begin to imagine a rewarding and welcom-ing place to exercise their appreciation of technology.

Step 2: Focus on being inclusive. You want your organization to excel. You face stiff competition. You can’t afford to hire just anyone; you need the best. So be sure to feed the pipeline with every single stu-dent who is excited and enthused about STEM. Help our schools include everyone. Don’t leave some of our best minds sitting on the sidelines. We can’t afford that.

What’s in it for us? Simple. By filling the hiring pipeline with excellent candi-dates, we give each student years upon years to consider and evaluate their inter-ests and to hone their curiosities. Think of it as “intellectual compound interest.” In the end, we have a larger, more qualified pool of candidates from which to choose. In addition, these candidates, after spend-ing time with us in our facilities, emerge with a much more accurate concept of what their workplace and career will look like. The better we align expectations with outcomes, the greater our chances of suc-cess. And one of the best benefits I’ve per-sonally experienced is that, through job shadowing, through internships, through

Indium Corporation employees describe production processes to BOCES students during a tour of the company's simulation lab.

reaching out to classrooms and through working with summer hires, we get to observe individual students perform-ing. When we encounter truly promising people, we have the opportunity to invite them back, to recruit them, to earn their respect and eventually to hire them.

Regardless of whether your goal is to help students, contribute to society or to make your business increasingly com-petitive and successful, the answer is the same: Commit to STEM outreach. Include everyone, start the students early, cultivate the best talent and invite them aboard. Ev-erybody wins.

References1. www.informationweek.com/it-strategy/

us-tech-worker-shortage-looms-study-warns/d/d-id/1104496?

2. http://techcrunch.com/2013/05/05/there-is-in-fact-a-tech-talent-shortage-and-there-always-will-be

3. www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/03/the-myth-of-the-science-and-engineering-shortage/284359

4. www.breitbart .com/Big-Government/2014/05/20/Report-U-S-Has-Surplus-Not-Shortage-of-High-Tech-Workers

5. www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/03/compugirls_how_schools_keep_some_girls_from_pursuing_stem.html

6. www.bayerus.com/News%5CNewsDetail.aspx?ID=862593F0-F489-B4D0-283DB12C656EA899

7. http://fortune.com/2014/07/22/in-tech-some-minorities-are-too-minor-this-group-wants-to-change-that

http://www.cryocon.com

Participants in a recent briefing held at Essen, Germany, reported that the world’s longest superconducting cable—the first to have been integrated into an urban electricity grid—has celebrated six months of flawlessoperation, advancing the prospect of future lossless energy transport.

Part of the AmpaCity project, the 1 km, 10 kV high temperature ceramic-based su-perconductive cable was integrated into the Essen inner city grid, replacing a ten-times thicker 110kV copper cable. Over the first 180 days of its operation, the cable delivered about 20 million kilowatt-hours of energy to customers in Essen, powering approxi-mately 10,000 households.

High temperature superconductors (HTS) such as those used in this project display superconducting properties at ap-proximately -200°C. Until the discovery of HTS by German scientists Georg Bednorz and Alex Müller in 1987, it was believed that superconductivity could only exist near absolute zero (-273°C). The HTS discovery opened new possibilities for the practical use of superconductivity using cheaper and easily storable liquid nitrogen as a coolant instead of the scarce and expensive helium needed to achieve absolute zero.

Bednorz, who with Müller received the Nobel Prize for Physics for this HTS work, attended the AmpaCity 180-day review and expressed optimism that superconductors could revolutionize power transmission in the not-so-distant future, minimizing trans-mission losses and helping to cut carbon emissions. He believes that integrating the superconducting technology with an effi-cient cooling system was likely the greatest lesson to be learned from the Essen trial.

The German project partners, utility company RWE, cable manufacturer Nex-ans (CSA CSM) and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (CSA CSM), said the 15 cm-

diameter cable not only allows transmission of as much electricity as the previously used 10-times-thicker copper cable but also en-ables simplification of the city grid scheme, reducing the number of transformer sta-tions required by 40 percent.

“During the first 180 days, the Ampa-City cable performed with 100 percent reli-ability and we hope that when we complete two years of testing, it will still be some-where around 99.9 percent,” said Frank Merschel, project manager for new technol-ogies at RWE, which runs the Essen grid. “We plan to extend the test until 2016, to see that the system performs well in various weather conditions. If the results are good, we may consider a more widespread imple-mentation of superconductor technology as part of our electricity network,” he said.

During the first six months, the project partners learned valuable lessons and en-countered surprisingly few problems. “We had to switch off the cable only once for a very short period of time during the first 180 days of operation,” said Oliver Sauerbach, RWE’s head of grid planning in the Ruhr region. “It was during the power outages caused by the Ela storm, which disabled the cooling system of the superconductor. However, the data later showed we could have left it on as the temperature wasn’t ris-ing that fast.”

The cable, made of three layers of bis-muth strontium calcium copper oxide, is cooled down to -207°C to become super-conductive, eliminating electrical resistance and resulting in 100 percent efficient energy transmission with no losses.

The Nexans cable includes an inner and outer channel through which liquid nitro-gen flows, providing efficient cooling. The structure is insulated from its outer shell by

a vacuum layer, preventing thermal energy transfer to the ambient environment.

“The liquid nitrogen flows through the 1 km-long cable from the cooling sta-tion through the outer channel and returns back through the inner path,” Sauerbach explained. “That’s 2 km to complete the circle there and back to the cooling station, after which the liquid nitrogen returns 3-5K warmer than when it left. About 2.5 cubic meters of liquid hydrogen are circulating inside the cable at any given time.”

According to Frank Schmidt, head of Nexans’ superconductor division, the price of the superconducting cable was only twice as high as that of a similarly powerful cop-per cable. The whole system, Nexans said, can perform more efficiently than a con-ventional one, reducing operational cost by€10 million over a projected 40-year life-time. “With a copper cable system with all its transformer stations, twice as much en-ergy is lost than we need to power the cool-ing system of the superconductive cable,” Schmidt said.

“The fact that the superconductive cable is considerably thinner than a cop-per-based one with the same performance makes the installation much easier as you don’t need to dig such a big trench. That’s especially valuable in an urban environ-ment as it minimizes disruption plus all the land that can be freed for other purposes when we get rid of the transformer sta-tions,” he added.

The market-ready Nexans technology kept down costs and brought the project in at the Ampacity €13.5 million budget mark, Schmidt said. “In the future, we would like to install longer cables, up to 3 km long, and continue with tests in the city environ-ment, which we believe could benefit the most from the technology.” However, he noted that using superconductors for long-distance energy transport may not be cost-effective in this stage of development, as multiple cooling stations would have to be installed along the way, inflating the overall price.

The AmpaCity project was co-funded by the German Federal Ministry of Econom-ics and Energy, RWE, Nexans and the Karl-sruhe Institute of Technology.

World's Longest Superconducting Cable Works without a HitchExcerpted and edited with permission from E&T Magazine, October 28, 2014, by Tereza Pultarova

Over the first 180 days of its operation, the cable delivered

about 20 million kilowatt-hours of energy to customers in

Essen, powering approximately

10,000 households.

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Ess



Fermilab (CSA CSM) will intensify its Linac Coherent Light Source II (LCLS-II) contribution in the overlapping areas of superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) ac-celerator technology and cryogenics, criti-cal components that distinguish LCLS-II from SLAC’s current LCLS facility, whose laser production has enabled noted scien-tific investigations in cancer treatment and other important areas. Now one year into its five-year construction plan, the LCLS-II,an electron accelerator project at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, will pro-duce a high power free-electron laser for cutting-edge scientific explorations ranging from refined observations of molecules and cellular interactions to innovative materials engineering. Cornell University, Argonne National Laboratory (CSA CSM), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Fermilab and Thomas Jefferson National Accelera-tor Facility (CSA CSM) are partners in the SLAC-directed project.

Air Liquide (CSA CSM) has been se-lected by Chinese petrochemical company

Yuhuang Chemical, Inc., as the supplier of oxygen for its new world-scale methanol manufacturing complex to be built in St. James Parish LA. Air Liquide will invest around $170 million in this high growth area for the chemical industry. The new Yuhuang Chemical methanol manufactur-ing complex will produce approximately 5,000 tonnes of methanol per day, making it one of the largest methanol production facilities in the US based on capacity. Air Liquide has a new long-term agreement to supply Yuhuang Chemical with 2,400 tonnes of oxygen per day and will build a new, state-of-the-art, energy efficient Air Separation Unit (ASU) producing oxygen, nitrogen and argon. Connected to Air Liquide’s extensive pipeline system in Louisiana, providing enhanced reliability of supply, the ASU is expected to be commis-sioned by the second half of 2017.

Taylor-Wharton has been chosen by Sweden’s Furetank Rederi AB to design and manufacture a complete onboard LNG Fuel System including two 255m3 Type C

storage tanks. Furetank is seeking to com-ply with international environmental rules for low sulfur emissions by converting an oil and chemical cargo tanker, the 472-foot BV-classed Fure West. The joint industries project “LNG-CONV” will convert the main engine to consume clean burning natural gas. Taylor-Wharton will manufacture the tanks, bunkering skids, vaporization skids and control system for Fure West in Kosice, Slovakia. Twin 255-cubic-meter (67,360-gallon) tanks will be installed and will power the main MaK 7M46DF engine, and at least one of the three Caterpillar 3058 auxiliary engines will be altered to use LNG fuel as well.

People, Companies in Cryogenics

(Continued on page 40)

http://www.americanmagnetics.com

http://www.specialgassupplies.com


Cryo-Oops columnist John Jurns is now senior cryogenic engineer at the Euro-pean Spallation Source. His former title was cooling systems engineer.

ThyssenKrupp’s new MULTI eleva-tor technology, using maglev capsules, will allow elevators to go up, down and side-ways and will be more energy efficient than traditional cable elevators. By running mul-tiple cabins moving in a loop at up to 5 m/s, the maglev elevators will be able to carry 50 percent more people while reducing wait times to between 15 and 30 seconds. The shafts themselves will also be about half the size of elevator shafts that rely on cables, which means more room for developers to design in something useful.

As of January 1, Antonio della Corte began his term as Council on Supercon-ductivity president for the next two years. Bruce Strauss is now vice president (pres-ident-elect), and Elie Track is treasurer of the council. John Przybysz is now Techni-cal and Service Awards Committee chair, Justin Schwartz is chair and Sam Benz is

vice chair of the Fellows Committee, and Nathan Newman is Educational Grants Committee chair.

In October 2014, Chart's Ball Ground GA facil-ity reached a sig-nificant milestone in its relationship with its Japanese liquid cylinder distributor, Daiho Sangyo Inc. (DSI). Since these two companies estab-lished a relation-ship in 1989, Chart and DSI have sold 50,000 cryogenic liquid cylinders into the Japanese market. These products have

ranged from 50 to 450 liters in capacity and have been in oxygen, argon, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide service.

Chart and DSI have collaborated to introduce patented cylinder technology from the United States while incorporating unique thermal performance and plumb-ing components required by Japanese users. The resulting range of products has established a leading position in a market renowned for exacting quality demands.

We regret to report the death of Pro-fessor Shaun Fisher from the Lancaster University (UK) Department of Physics. He joined the department in 1988 and, apart from a brief period working at Cen-tre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Grenoble, was with the department ever since. The university’s obituary reported that, “[Fisher was] regarded as one of the world’s leading low temperature physicists. Already as a graduate student he was de-vising experimental techniques which have since been taken up worldwide. In 1998 he was awarded the Charles Vernon Boys Medal and Prize of the Institute of Physics ‘for a distinguished early research career in low temperature physics…’ He has a long list of research firsts to his name but will be

People, Companies... Continued from page 39

Tom Carey, president, Distribution and Storage Group for Chart, presents Takao Sasayama, president of Daiho Sangyo, with a special commemorative liquid cylinder.

http://www.thermaxinc.com


Upcoming Meetings & Events5th International Workshop on Lunar Surface ApplicationsApril 14-17Cocoa Beach FLhttp://2csa.us/cs

Compressed Gas Association Annual MeetingApril 19-23PGA National Resort & SpaPalm Beach Gardens FL

World Gas ConferenceJune 1-5Paris, Francehttp://2csa.us/br

26th Space Cryogenics Workshop (SCW'15)June 24-26Embassy Suites-Biltmore, Phoenix AZwww.spacecryogenicsworkshop.org

CSA Short CoursesJune 28JW Marriott Starr Pass ResortTucson AZ

Cryogenic Engineering Conference/International Cryogenic Materials ConferenceJune 28-July 2JW Marriott Starr Pass ResortTucson AZwww.cec-icmc.org

16th International Workshop on Low Temperature DetectorsJuly 20-24Centre de Congrès WTCGrenoble, Francehttp://2csa.us/cg

24th IIR International Congress of RefrigerationAugust 16-22Yokohama, Japanhttp://2csa.us/c4

17th International Conference on RF SuperconductivitySeptember 13-18Whistler Conference Centre, Whistler, British Columbia, Canada

International Conference on Magnet Technology (MT 24)October 18-23Coex, Seoul, Koreahttp://2csa.us/c8

CGA Safety & Reliability of Industrial Gases, Equipment and Facilities SeminarOctober 20-21Intercontinental Hotel, Tampa FL

The 18th International Conference of the International Society of Cryosurgery (Cryo Egypt 2015)October 21-24Sharm El Sheikh, Egypthttp://2csa.us/ck

Gastech 2015October 27-30Singaporehttp://2csa.us/bu

2016

Particle Accelerator Conference (PAC'16)October 10-14Sheraton Towers, Chicago IL

best remembered for his discovery of quan-tum turbulence in superfluid helium-three at microkelvin temperatures (previously thought impossible). He sat on the editorial boards of several journals and was in great demand for international conference talks and was a key member of the European MICROKELVIN network of leading low temperature laboratories.”

The Cryogenics IIR International Con-ference, part of the series of conferences held every two years and expected for 2016, has been postponed until September 2017 due to an overlap with other similar events in 2016. The conference, to be held Septem-ber 11-15, 2017, in Dresden, Germany, will deal equipment and technology problems at temperatures below 120K and related de-vices and technologies. The 14th Cryogenics 2017 is a joint conference of IIR Commis-sions A1 (cryophysics, cryoengineering), A2 (liquefaction and separation of gases) and C1 (cryobiology, cryomedicine). Contact www.icaris-prague.cz/en/info/3918-14th-cryogenics-2017.html.

Abstract submission is open until March 27 for the 12th European Conference on Applied Superconductivity (EUCAS 2015) in Lyon, France, September 6–10. Sub-mit at www.eucas2015.org by clicking the “submission” tab on the left. Three special sessions will be organized with keynotes and round tables: “industry-utility,” “su-perconducting computer” and “modeling for applications.” For the first time papers accepted after peer review will be published in a special issue of the IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity in 2016. Pas-cal Tixador is Conference Chairman and Jean-Louis Soubeyroux is Scientific Pro-gram Committee Chairman.

Margaret Kaigh Doyle has joined Gas Technology Institute (GTI) to help drive GTI’s global business and training oppor-tunities in liquefied natural gas. Previously Doyle was vice president of development and LNG solutions at the US Maritime Resource Center. She is a graduate of the US Merchant Marine Academy and holds advanced degrees in engineering from the

George Washington and Pennsylvania State Universities. www.gastechnology.org.

The US ITER Media Corner reports that General Atomics (GA) has been in-volved in winding a prototype central solenoid coil from non-superconducting material. The mock-up is being used to confirm the readiness of the tooling stations required to fabricate a superconducting module. The ITER central solenoid, at the heart of the ITER international fusion reac-tor-scale experiment now under construc-tion in France, is the world’s most powerful pulsed superconducting electromagnet. The US ITER Project Office at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (CSA CSM) has begun fabrication of the magnet modules with at the GA facility in Poway CA. GA will pro-duce six superconducting modules plus a spare for the central solenoid. ITER is an in-ternational partnership to build and operate a scientific facility that will sustain burning plasma and demonstrate the feasibility of fusion energy for grid-scale power. ■

www.cryogenicsociety.org/calendar

http://www.cryogenicsociety.org/calendar


Index of Advertisers26th Space Cryogenics Workshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

ACME Cryogenics, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

American Magnetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

CCH Equipment Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Chart Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Cryo Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover

Cryoco LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Cryofab, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover

Cryogenic Control Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Cryogenic Machinery Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Cryomech, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover

CSA Short Courses at CEC/ICMC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Helixso. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

HPD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Janis Research Co., Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Lake Shore Cryotronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Linde Cryogenics/Linde Process Plants, Inc. . . Inside Back Cover

Magnatrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Master Bond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Meyer Tool & Mfg., Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

PHPK Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover

RICOR USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Special Gas Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Sumitomo SHI Cryo America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Sunpower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

SuperPower Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Tempshield Cryo-Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Thermax, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Cold Facts is the official technical magazine of The Cryogenic Society of America, Inc. 218 Lake Street • Oak Park IL 60302-2609Phone: 708-383-6220 Ext. 302 • Fax: 708.383.9337Email: [email protected] • Web: www.cryogenicsociety.org A non-profit technical society serving all those interested in any phase of cryogenicsSSN 1085-5262 • CSA-C- 3843 • February 2015 Printed in USA

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