Cryogenics

Applications:
CRYOGENICS IN MANUFACTURING FIELD
Cryogenic treatment works on Reamers, Tool bits, Tool
punches, Carbide Drills, Carbide Cutters, Milling Cutters,
Files, Knives, Reciprocating Blades, Dies and cutting tools
for improving hardness and toughness
Stress relieved ferrous and non ferrous castings and
forgings for enhanced dimensional stability and surface
finish, wear resistance.

Frozen Food:
Transportation of large masses of frozen food. Food is
freezed in war zones, earthquake hit regions, etc.
Cryogenic food freezing is also helpful for large scale food
processing industries
CRYOSURGERY
Cryosurgery- Use of extreme cold produced by liquid nitrogen (or
argon gas) to destroy abnormal tissue.
Used to treat external tumors, such as those on the skin.
For internal tumors, liquid nitrogen is circulated through a hollow
instrument called a Cryoprobe.
Used since many years in the treatment of skin cancer

CRYOGENICS IN ELECTRONICS FIELD

Super conducting electronic devices like SQUID (Super
conducting quantum interference device) are used in sensitive
digital magnetometers and voltmeters
Zero friction bearings use magnetic field instead of oil or air,
derived from the Meissner Effect associated with super
conductivity.
Super conducting electric motors are constructed approaching
zero electric loses
Oxygen: Many non-combustible materials can burn in the
presence of Liquid Oxygen. Organic materials react
explosively with Liquid Oxygen. Hazards and handling
precautions of liquid oxygen is considered separately from
other cryogenic liquids

CRYOGENIC ENGINES IN AEROSPACE

First operational Cryogenic Rocket Engine is 1961 NASA
designed RL-10 LOX LH2 rocket engine
The second-stage Pratt & Whitney RL10B-2 engine is based on
the 30-year heritage of the reliable RL10 engine
Electric Power Transmission:
Superconductors could be used to increase power
throughput. Require cryogenic liquids such as nitrogen or
helium to cool special alloy-containing cables to increase
power transmission.

Blood banking:
Certain rare blood groups are stored at low temperatures,
such as −165 °C
 Significance of Joule-Thompson Coefficient

For an ideal gas, J-T coefficient is

always equal to zero: ideal gases
neither warm nor cool upon being
expanded at constant enthalpy.

For real gases, on free or

irreversible expansion or
throttling or isenthalpic
expansion,
Joule-Thompson Coefficient
μ  (∂T/∂p)H
(μ J> 0 for cooling. μ J < 0 for heating)
Air liquefaction method

Linde’s (or hampson) air liquefaction method

Underline principle – Uses only Joule Thomson expansion for
liquefaction
Air is compressed to 200 atm and the yield is about 10
percent.
Further, liquid oxygen and nitrogen are obtained by fractional
distillation of liquid air.
 Use energy balance around separator
Energy entering = energy leaving
m4 h4 = m5 h5 + m6 h6                

Energy balance around heat exchanger.

Entering energy  = energy leaving
m2h2+m6h6 =       m3h3+m7h7           
m1 =   m2   =m3  =m4
m6         =              m7

Disadvantage of Linde’s air liquefaction method

It results in a lower yield of around 10%.
The working pressure is very high resulting in high power
consumption and requiring robust equipment.
Method is costly.
 CLAUDE’S AIR LIQUEFACTION METHOD

Principle – uses both isentropic and throttling expansions.

Air is compressed to approximately 40 atm.
After passing through heat exchanger I(HE1), air stream is
divided into two streams.
20 percent is passed through the second heat exchanger
and then throttled  to atmospheric pressure.
80 %  going to the turbine and cooled on expansion.
This cooled air from the turbine cools the air in heat
exchanger(HE2)and thus lowers the temperature before
throttling. However, this gives a higher percentage of
liquefied air.
Apply SFEE for compressor, expander, Heat exchanger 1 and
2 , energy balance for separator, mass balance to get unknown
masses and amount of liquefied air.