Cryogenics :

Cryogenics is a branch of physics (or engineering) that studies the production of

very low temperatures (below 150 C, !" # or 1! $) and the behavior of
materials at those temperatures%
Definitions and distinctions
&t is important to distinguish between cryogenics, cryobiology and cryonics%
Cryogenics :
'he branches of physics and engineering that study very low temperatures, how
to produce them, and how materials behave at those temperatures% (esides the
familiar temperature scales of #ahrenheit and Celsius, cryogenicists use the
$elvin and )an*ine scales%
Cryobiology
'he branch of biology that studies the effects of low temperatures on organisms
(most often for the purpose of achieving cryopreservation)%
Cryonics
'he nascent medical technology of cryopreserving humans and animals with the
intention of future revival% +s a technology, cryonics see*s to apply the results of
many sciences, including cryobiology, cryogenics, rheology, emergency medicine,
etc%
Etymology
'he word cryogenics literally means ,the production of icy cold,- however the
term is used today as a synonym for the low-temperature state% &t is not well.
defined at what point on the temperature scale refrigeration ends and cryogenics
begins% 'he wor*ers at the /ational &nstitute of 0tandards and 'echnology at
(oulder, Colorado have chosen to consider the field of cryogenics as that
involving temperatures below 1"0 C (1!%15 $)% 'his is a logical dividing line,
since the normal boiling points of the so.called permanent gases (such as
helium, hydrogen, neon, nitrogen, o2ygen, and normal air) lie below .1"0 C
while the #reon refrigerants, hydrogen sulfide, and other common refrigerants
have boiling points above .1"0 C%
)ecent research regarding superconductivity at low temperatures has been
called cryoelectronics, and the utili3ation of these sciences is called cryotronics%
Industrial application
4i5uefied gases, such as li5uid nitrogen and li5uid helium, are used in many
cryogenic applications% 4i5uid nitrogen is the most commonly used element in
cryogenics and is legally purchasable around the world% 4i5uid helium is also
commonly used and allows for the lowest attainable temperatures to be
reached%
'hese gases are held in either special containers *nown as 6ewar flas*s, which
are generally about si2 feet tall (1%" m) and three feet (11%5 cm) in diameter, or
giant tan*s in larger commercial operations% 6ewar flas*s are named after their
inventor, 7ames 6ewar, the man who first li5uefied hydrogen% 8useums typically
display smaller vacuum flas*s fitted in a protective casing%
Cryogenic transfer pumps are the pumps used on 4/9 piers to transfer 4i5uefied
/atural 9as from 4/9 Carriers to 4/9 storage tan*s%
Cryogenic processing
'he field of cryogenics advanced during :orld :ar && when scientists found that
metals fro3en to low temperatures showed more resistance to wear% (ased on
this theory of cryogenic hardening, the commercial cryogenic processing industry
was founded in 11;; by <d (usch% :ith a bac*ground in the heat treating
industry, (usch founded a company in 6etroit called Cryo'ech in 11;;% 'hough
Cryo'ech later merged with !00 (elow to create the largest and oldest
commercial cryogenics company in the world, they originally e2perimented with
the possibility of increasing the life of metal tools to anywhere between 00=.
>00= of the original life e2pectancy using cryogenic tempering instead of heat
treating% 'his evolved in the late 1110s into the treatment of other parts (that
did more than ?ust increase the life of a product) such as musical instruments
(improved sound 5uality), baseball bats (greater sweet spot), golf clubs (greater
sweet spot), racing engines (greater performance under stress), firearms (less
warping after continuous shooting), *nives, ra3or blades, bra*e rotors and even
pantyhose% 'he theory was based on how heat.treating metal wor*s (the
temperatures are lowered to room temperature from a high degree causing
certain strength increases in the molecular structure to occur) and supposed
that continuing the descent would allow for further strength increases% @sing
li5uid nitrogen, Cryo'ech formulated the first early version of the cryogenic
processor% @nfortunately for the newly.born industry, the results were unstable,
as components sometimes e2perienced thermal shoc* when they were cooled
too fast% 0ome components in early tests even shattered because of the ultra.
low temperatures% &n the late twentieth century, the field improved significantly
with the rise of applied research, which coupled microprocessor based industrial
controls to the cryogenic processor in order to create more stable results%
Cryogens, li*e li5uid nitrogen, are further used for specialty chilling and free3ing
applications% 0ome chemical reactions, li*e those used to produce the active
ingredients for the popular statin drugs, must occur at low temperatures of
appro2imately .100 C% 0pecial cryogenic chemical reactors are used to remove
reaction heat and provide a low temperature environment% 'he free3ing of foods
and biotechnology products, li*e vaccines, re5uires nitrogen in blast free3ing or
immersion free3ing systems%
Fuels
+nother use of cryogenics is cryogenic fuels% Cryogenic fuels, mainly o2ygen and
hydrogen, have been used as roc*et fuels% #or e2ample, /+0+As wor*horse
space shuttle uses cryogenic o2ygen and hydrogen fuels as its primary means of
getting into orbit, as did all of the roc*ets built for the 0oviet space program by
0ergei $orolev (this was a bone of contention between him and rival engine
designer Balentin 9lush*o, who felt that cryogenic fuels were impractical for
large.scale roc*ets such as the ill.fated /.1 roc*et spacecraft)%
)ussian aircraft manufacturer 'upolev is currently researching a version of its
popular design 'u.15> with a cryogenic fuel system, *nown as the 'u.155% 'he
plane uses a fuel referred to as li5uefied natural gas or 4/9, and made its first
flight in 11"1%
Detectors
Cryogenic temperatures, usually well below CC $ (.11; C) are re5uired to
operate cryogenic detectors%