Monday, January 27, 2014

The Details On Cryogenic Equipment

By Grace Rivas


Realistically, the word "cryogenic" is not commonly used in everyday situations. Therefore, most people don't have much of an idea of what it means. Here is some information about what cryogenic means, how cryogenic equipment is used and what makes these important.

Two Greek words make up the compound term "cryogenics". The first part means very cold temperatures, or "Kryos". The second part of the word is "genes" which is also from the Greek language. It means "generated". This provides a word meaning described as a material that has the property of extreme coldness.

Certain gases become liquids when held in precise environmental conditions. They remain in a gaseous state except when subjected to very low temperatures and precise atmospheric pressure. There are several reasons why a liquid state for a gas might be important.

Known cryogenics gases include liquid oxygen, helium, hydrogen and nitrogen. Each of these gases have an extremely low boiling point (-51 C or -60 F). The most commonly used gas is nitrogen because it is easy to buy. Cryogenics can only be worked with in a special environment such as medical institutes and laboratories.

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.

The device that is used to hold and store liquid gases in order to safely handle them must be constructed to protect against the cold and to maintain constant pressure during the processes. One of the first pieces of equipment to be utilized was the Dewar Flask. The inventor was James Dewar who was the first scientist to liquefy hydrogen. The inside is glass with a double wall to protect the handler from the extreme cold.

The transfer pump is a special device used to transfer the liquid gases to the equipment. The pump must operate in extreme cold and sometimes under significant pressure. Pressure vessels are specific storing and cooling devices that can operate under extremes of cold and pressure. To maintain the air purity in laboratory conditions, there may be devices known as lab purifiers. Cold traps are another device that helps in cleaning under vacuum conditions. Specialty valves may come in a variety of sizes, shapes and materials to match the specific use being demanded of it.

Researchers working with gases in a liquid state need the right cryogenic equipment in order handle the substances safely. Devices that function under extreme conditions are needed in order to assure accuracy in the research that is being done. Choosing high quality equipment is a requirement for optimum results.




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