Cryogenics is the science and technology associated with generation of low temperature below 123 K.

1. CRYOGENICS

2. What is CRYOGENICS ?
 Kryo – Very cold (frost)
 Genics – to produce
 “Science and art of producing very cold”
 Cryogenics is the science and technology associated
with generation of low temperature below 123 K.
 National bureau of Standards, Colorado.

6. Applications
 SPACE
 MECHANICAL
 MEDICINE
 GAS INDUSTRY
 FOOD PROCESSING ………..

7. Space
 Rocket Propulsion
 Cryogenic engines are powered by cryogenic propellants
.
 Liquid Hydrogen is used as a fuel to propel the rocket.
 Liquid Oxygen is used as an oxidizer.

8. Space
 Cooling of Infra-Red (IR) sensor
 Cooling of IR detectors, Telescopes, Cold probes etc.
 Development of miniature and small cryocoolers for
satellites for an improved accuracy and reliability of earth
observation.
 Space simulations chambers are realistic environment for
air/space craft. The cold space is simulated at cryogenic
temperatures by use of LN2.

9. Space
 The levels of vacuum required in space simulation
chambers are very high.
 This is achieved by the use of cryopumps and turbo
molecular pumps.

10. Mechanical
Magnetic Separation
 Magnetic separation technique is used in variety of
applications like enhancing the brightness of kaolin,
improving the quality of ultra-high purity quartz etc.-
Superconducting Magnet ensures proper separation.

11. Mechanical
 Heat Treatment:
 The lives of the tools die castings & their dies, forgings,
jigs & fixtures etc, increase when subjected to cryogenic
heat treatment.
 The life of guitar strings increases by 4 to 5times with no
need for tuning.

12. Mechanical
 Cryogenic recycling:
 Turns the scrap into raw material by subjecting it to
cryogenics temperatures. This is mostly used for PVC,
rubbers.

13. Medicine

14. Cryo Surgery
 When a live tissue is frozen and maintained for
sometime in a frozen state, the blood supply to this
tissue is stopped and it dies due to lack of oxygen.
 When thawed the tissue turns into a blister and is slowly
eliminated either by dropping off as scab or getting
excreted.

15. Cryo Surgery
 Cryosurgery is a technique in which the harmful tissues
are destroyed by freezing them to cryogenic
temperature.
 Cryosurgery has shorter hospital stay, less blood loss,
and small recovery time.
 It is generally used in patients with localized prostate
and kidney cancer, skin disorders, retinal problems, etc.

16. Cryo Surgery
 Skin (cancer)
 Eye (removal of cataracts)
 Brain (Parkinson’s disease)
 Gynaecology
 Internal surgery

18. Cryo Surgery
Advantages:
 Lower chances of infection
 Smaller or no incision
 Shorter or no hospital stay
 Better cosmetic quality

19. Medicine
 Cell Preservation
 Cells and tissues can be kept indefinitely in a state of
suspended animation by storing in liquid nitrogen; but
cell death takes place during freezing and thawing.
 The mechanism of cell death is fully understood, but
related to formation of extracellular/ intercellular ice
crystals, migration of water across the cell membrane and
to changes in the salt concentration in the intracellular
fluid.
 Systems are developed to preserve blood cells, plasma
cells, human organs and animal organs at cryogenic
temperatures.

20. Medicine
 Still some cells can be frozen and thawed with high viability rate
by:
 Following a strict temperature – time protocol.
 Adding certain chemicals like glycerol .
 Applications
 Human erythrocytes and platelets
 Bull sperms
 Cattle and other livestock embryos
 Eye cornea and skin
 Many bacteria and fungi

21. Food Processing
 Preserving food at low temperature is a well-known
technique.
 Cooling of sea foods, meat (sea export), and milk products
for long time preservation is achieved by use of LN2.

22. Food Processing
 Freezing of marine products
 Faster cooling
 (cryo freezing, all cells are cooled simultaneously, water in the
material is frozen not the surroundings)
 Smaller ice crystals
 Low drip loss
 Better taste and flavor
 Individual Quick Freezing
 No additional freezing load
 Better consumer acceptance
 Simpler and lighter equipment

24. Food Processing
 Transportation of frozen foods
 Liquid N2 is sprayed on the top of the cabin
 Simpler and lighter equipments
 Better temperature control

26. Gas Industry
 Production of industrial gases-Cryogenic liquefaction and
distillation of air
 The transportation of gases across the world is done in liquid
state. This is done by storing the liquid at cryogenic temperature.
 The use of inert gases in welding industry has initiated higher
demand for gas production in the recent past.
 Cryogens like LOX, LH2 are used in rocket propulsion while
LH2 is being considered for automobile
 Liquid nitrogen is used as pre-coolant in most of the cryogenic
systems.

27. Gas Industry
 Steel industry – Oxygen is used in the production of steel.
Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF)uses oxygen instead of air.
 Nitrogen and argon are primarily used to provide an inert
atmosphere in chemical, metallurgical and welding
industries.

28. Super Conductivity
 The Super conducting magnets for both NMR and MRI
machines (used for body scanning) are cooled by liquid
Helium.
 Maglev Locomotion
 Maglev Train runs on the principle of Magnetic
Levitation.
 The train gets levitated from the guide way by using
electromagnetic forces between superconducting magnets
on the vehicle and coils on the ground.
 This results in no contact motion and therefore no friction

29. Super Conductivity

30. High Energy Physics
 CERN is an organization for nuclear research in Europe which was
founded in 1954.
 It consists of a 27Km accelerator ring with four detectors.
 All the magnet systems (SC) and its accessories are kept at 1.9 K
using the liquid Helium.
 A liquid nitrogen layer (77 K) is used as shielding for liquid helium.
 It is an experiment seeking answers to Big Bang theory and
collision of atomic particles.

31. High Energy Physics
 ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor)
is an engineering project for nuclear fusion reactor.
 The superconducting magnets are maintained at 4 K by
liquid helium.
 The experiments are carried out to enable mankind to
generate energy for future.