Cryogenics | 15 Apr 2024

Source: TH

Cryogenics is defined as the science of materials at temperatures below negative 153 degrees Celsius. It deals with extremely low temperatures where common gases like hydrogen, nitrogen, and air become liquid.

• Cryogenics, typically uses helium and nitrogen as the cryogenic fluid, the thing that cools a substance.
  • Nitrogen has a boiling point of negative 196 degrees C and helium has a negative 269 degrees C. Below these temperatures they are liquid.
  • These liquids need to be stored in vacuum flasks or they could leak and damage their surroundings.

Use of Cryogenics:

• For example, hydrogen is one of the best rocket fuels but it can only be used as a liquid, so it needs to be cryogenically cooled.
• Cryogenic hydrogen and cryogenic oxygen power the third stage of ISRO’s LVM-3 rocket.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices used in medical diagnostics use cryogenic fluids to cool their magnets.

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