Applications of

Cryogenics

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 Areas
• Gas Industry - Production of different gases

• Space research - As rocket propellants &

space simulation.
• Biology & Medicine - Storage of specimens &
Cryosurgery
• Food industry - Storage & processing of food
products
• Electronics Cooling Semiconductors for
better S/N ratio

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 ….Contd.
• Magnets High field & compact Superconducting magnets

• Basic research High-energy physics

Fusion, Accelerators

• Power generation Superconducting generators

SC Motors

• Cryogenic Treatment Tool life improvement

Metal fabrication

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 SPACE
RESEARCH

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Cryogenic Fuels
 LOX and LH2

cryogenic fuel & Oxidizer for launch vehicles

 Advantages

* High specific impulse (kg/s of thrust

produced per kg. of propellant).

~ 500 for cryogenic fuels

~ 250 for alcohol-oxygen mixture.

* Storage and handling as liquid is efficient

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 GSLV

UDMH -Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine

N2O4 – Di Nitrogen Tetroxide

 HTPB - Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene

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Uses of LN2

• Precooling and flushing of components

• Space simulation chambers

• Auxiliary power sources

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 SPACE SIMULATION CHAMBERS

• Testing of Components
under Space environment.

• Cooling of walls by LN2 or

LHe.

• For a typical simulation

chamber, ~ 20 tons of LN2
per day may be needed.

• Vacuum level of 10-12 mbar

can be obtained by
cryopumping using LHe.

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 Micellaneous Applications

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 Food Preservation
• The frozen & refrigerated food
is one of the current concepts.

• Freeze drying is a good

method of preserving food
products.

• LN2 is used in freezing,

refrigeration and supplying
inert atmosphere for packing

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 Shrink Fitting

• Shrink fitting is a process for

fitting a slightly oversize part
into a mating hole by using
cryogenics

• The advantages are low

investment in costly
components

• The bearings of Suzuki bikes

are fitted by this method.

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 Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Proton magnetic resonance is
used with magnetic field
gradients used in MRI.

• The magnetic fields a high

precision is achieved by
Superconducting magnets.

• These magnets operate in

persistent mode & cooled by
LHe.

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 Magnetoencephalography (MEG)

• SQUIDs are highly sensitive

detectors of magnetic field.

• Brain signals can be obtained

using SQUIDs arranged in the
form of a helmet.

• Low Tc SQUIDs operate at 4.2K

and hence need Liquid Helium.

• High Tc SQUIDs operate at 77K

using LN2

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Opportunities as Cryogenic Engineer
• Gas Industries such as Air Products, Linde, LAir
Liquide, Cryofab, Nexans etc.
• LNG - Liquefied Natural Gas – Automotive sector
• Research Institutions, involved with Fusion ,
Accelerators, Low Temperature and high energy
research
• ISRO, for their programmes (IISER, Trivandrum)
• MRI systems engineer for cryogenic related works
etc.
• Cryogenics is an interdisciplinary field and leads to
learning several areas such Mech. Engg, Material
Science, Instrumentation
08/13/23
etc.
CryoApplications 14
Some Advertisements

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 Thank you!

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 DEMO Experiments

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 FOOD
PRESERVATION

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 CRYOGENIC TREATMENT

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• Cold treatment
converts austenitic
steel to martensite
by cooling it to LN2
temperature
(Austenite reduces
to 3%).

• Cryogenically
treated tools are
proved to have more
life.

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 Cryosurgery
Treatment of skin diseases such
as warts, piles etc.

– For warts, LN2 can be applied by

an ordinary cotton swab (10 –
60s)

-- for piles, LN2 can be sprayed.

-- for Parkinsons disease

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