Tuesday, 21 January 2014

The Facts About Cryogenic Equipment

Posted by Unknown at 14:09
By Grace Rivas


If you have no idea what the word "cryogenic" means, you are probably in the majority. It is not a term often found in daily conversation. It is seen often in research facilities, food processing plants and in medical labs. Here are some of the details that describe cryogenic equipment, what it means and why it is important today.

Cryogenics is a complex word which originates from Greek language. While Kryos means freezing or cold, Genes means generated. The word therefore means any material which is generated or born with the specific feature of being freezing cold.

The definition that is understood today is applied to certain gases that become liquid form when subjected to precise conditions. Specifically, these gases become liquids when they are chilled to extremely low levels and also under particular pressure levels. There are several reasons why this process is needed.

The most common gases to be used in cryogenics include liquid oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and helium. The common characteristic is the low boiling point. Each of these elements boils at -51C (-60F). Nitrogen is perhaps the most used gas. It is readily available. The substances are only worked with in special environments, including labs and medical research stations.

The main uses of cryogenics today are to preserve anything with an organic origin, such as food, in the best state possible and to research how different organisms are affected by low temperatures. The extreme cold might be used during specific surgeries or in electronic research regarding super-conductivity and magnetic fields. When researching the behavior of certain materials in extreme temperature conditions or to protect against highly flammable surfaces or as a fuel, liquid gases might be utilized.

One common object used in research locations to handle super-chilled materials is the Dewar Flask. This object was invented by James Dewar who is credited with being the first individual to successfully bring hydrogen to a liquid state. The flask consists of a double wall with glass inside. The second layer helps to protect the researcher from the damage to skin that could occur otherwise. Both protection against cold and a structure that maintains the right pressure are offered by this device.

When the liquid gas must be moved or transferred, special pumping devices are required. A pump that operates successfully under high pressure and extreme cold. In order to store the gases in liquid form, pressure vessels are required. These containers must maintain the low temperatures and the high pressures in storage conditions. To keep the air pure, the equipment for purification must operate under unusual conditions. Cleaning using cold traps is another device that is needed for cleaning. Valves are another device that must be specially designed to manage the extremes of a gas in a liquid state.

When there is research under conditions of extreme cold, cryogenic equipment exists to ensure that the lab results are accurate and replicable. Because the stresses of temperature and pressure placed on the equipment, high quality is crucial. Safety of the handler is critical and so is the protection of the sometimes costly equipment and processes. When an experiment is conducted under such conditions, it is critically important to be able to depend upon the results obtained in the experiment. If used in a commercial application, safe and easy handling of the liquid gases is vital.




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