CRYOGENIC ENGINEERING
Origination:
The word cryogenics has been originated from two Greek
words namely KRYOS and GENICS.
Kryos means cold or frost.
Genics means to study.
DEFINATION: It is defined as the branch of physics that
deals with the study of phenomena occurring at very low
temperatures.
Temperature range:238°F (150°C) to absolute zero (-273.5°C).
Basically it is defined as science and technology of
temperatures below 120 K.
Methods of production of low temperature in cryogenics:
Joule-Thompson effect- temperature decreases on reducing
the pressure on gases.
Inevitable unit of cryogenics:
The most indispensable unit of cryogenics is CRYOGEN.
Cryogens are defined as liquids having boiling point much
lower than room temperature.
Examples : liquid nitrogen, liquid hydrogen, liquid helium.
Properties of cryogenic fluid:
It should have low value of critical temperature and pressure.
It should be lighter and less viscous.
Industrial used most common cryogen: liquid nitrogen
Specific chemical properties of nitrogen:
Normal boiling point- 77K
Critical temperature- 126K
Critical pressure- 34 bar
Liquid density- 808 kg/m3
Liquid /vaporization ratio – 175
Roots of cryogenics:
There are two roots of cryogenics:
Refrigeration
Liquefaction
Refrigeration:
Low temperature preservation is done using the following
types of cryogenic freezers:
Liquid nitrogen cryogenic freezer
Solid /liquid carbon dioxide cryogenic freezer
Liquid nitrogen cryogenic freezer
Instrumentation:
1. Dewar flask.
2. Vacuum instruments.
3. Liquid nitrogen valves.
Dewar flask:
Synonym: liquid nitrogen vessels, cryovessels,
vacuum vessels, pressure vessels.
Inventor : James Dewar in 1892.
Description:
a) These vessels are designed for storing as well as
transporting liquid nitrogen.
b) They are regarded as holding tank for selected
cryogenic liquid.
c) They prevent the transmission of heat from its contents
due to conduction and convection.
d) They are vacuum super-insulated vessels.
Design:
All types of Dewar flasks are constructed from 2 or
more layers with high vacuum maintained between the
layers.
This provides very good thermal insulation between
the interior and exterior of the Dewar that reduces the
rate at which the contents boil.
Usually these flasks hold the contents below the
boiling point of water.
Pressure relief valves allow the gas to vent away
from the Dewar flask whenever the pressure
becomes excessively large.
Different types of dewar flask
Construction of Dewar flask:
Maintenance :
During normal use, the vessel does not require any
special maintenance or care.
It is advisable to check the function and sealing of the
fittings and screw connections at regular intervals.
Safety valves must be checked for correct function
and set pressure every 2 years. The manometer
indicates the set pressure.
2. Vacuum equipments
Vacuum systems are used most commonly in
cryostats for the following purposes.
To pump out the high vacuum insulation spaces in the
cryostat and transfer tube.
To pump out an exchange gas.
To set up a pressure gradient along a pumping line so
that the flow of cryogen through the cryostat can be
controlled.
To pump out the nitrogen gas from a pre-cooled
helium vessel, after the liquid has been blown out.
Cryogenic vacuum systems
Liquid nitrogen freezer:
Description :
Freezer which used liquid nitrogen at -196 degree C (-320 degree
F) is called cryogenic freezer.
Liquid nitrogen freeze is essentially a single belt freezer and the
refrigerant is sprayed into it.
The nitrogen evaporates and is allowed to escape into
atmosphere after the vapours' are used to cool the fish.
Alternatively the material can be dipped into liquid nitrogen but
this often results in development of cracks in the surface.
For freezing 1kg of fish 1.0-1.5kg of liquid nitrogen is needed.
Hence, this process can be economical only where the liquid
nitrogen is available cheaply.
Solid carbon dioxide, dichloro methane and R12 can be used to
freeze fish.
Operation
In this freezer, the products are brought into direct
contact with the refrigerant.
The fish on the stainless steel conveyor belt initially
come into contact with the counter current flow of
nitrogen gas at a temperature of about -50 degree C.
As the fish progress through the pre-cooling stage of
the freezer, the gaseous nitrogen partially freezes the
fish and up to 50 percent of the product heat is
extracted.
The product the passes below the liquid sprays where
freezing is completed by the boiling liquid.
The last stage in the freezer provides a few minutes
for the fish temperature to reach equilibrium before
the fish are discharge.
Process of LNF:
LIQUID NITROGEN FREEZER:
ADVANTAGES OF LNF:
Dehydration loss from the product is usually much less than
1%
Oxygen is excluded during freezing
Individually frozen pieces of product undergo minimal
freezing damage
The equipment is simple, suitable for continuous flow
operations, adaptable to various production rates and product
sizes, of relatively low initial cost, and capable of high
production rates in a minimal space
Drawbacks :
Four times more costly than conventional air blast
freezing, hence more expensive method
Delivery of nitrogen could be expensive and there
may be no guarantee of regular supplies.
Applications of cryogenics:
Liquefaction of air
Separation of other gases from atmosphere by
fractional distillation.
Metallurgy- SQUID superconductivity.
Food industry
Cryosurgery
Cryopreservation
Space telescopes
Sports
Blood banking
Electric power transmissions
Magnetic resonance imaging
