Held at Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, April 6-9, the 5th International Conference on Cryogenics and Refrigeration (ICCR2013) attracted more than 330 participants from 17 nations and areas, with 220 papers presented.

The mission of the Superconducting Strand and Cable R&D program is to understand and improve scientific and engineering aspects of superconducting strands and cables for accelerator magnets, including dipoles, quadrupoles and solenoids. Since 1998, the lab has also served as the ideal experimental environment for 30 graduate students in physics and engineering

In February of this year, CSA was invited to the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (CSA CSM) at Florida State University to tour its facilities and meet key personnel at the forefront of cryogenic and superconducting technology at the lab. On our tour we were taken behind the scenes to catch a glimpse of the work being done by the Cryogenics group, the DC Field group, and the Magnet Science and Technology division, as well as the Applied Superconductivity Center (ASC) and the Center for Advanced Power Systems (CAPS), both located in separate buildings on the FSU campus.

Electric power systems—whether for electric utilities or on ships, airplanes or automobiles—require electronic power circuitry to change voltage levels and to convert between DC and AC, as well as for controlling power delivery. The use of superconductivity and cryogenics for motors, generators, energy storage and power distribution leads naturally to the idea of co-locating the associated power electronics in the same cryogenic environment.

Cryogenic gas circulators (CryoFans) are not very well known in the industry as a possible solution for cryogenic process design. In case a complex system needs to be cooled and a direct connection of a cryocooler is impossible, difficult or causes other issues, such as vibration, a gas circulator might solve the problem.

This feature explores developments in superconducting energy applications from contributors Ricerca sul Sistema Energetico SpA (RSE), Guina Research & Development, Nexans Deutschland GmbH, Air Liquide Advanced Technology and SuperPower Inc.

Manufactured by suppliers in six ITER Domestic Agencies—China, Europe, Japan, Korea, Russia and the USA—production of niobium-tin (Nb3Sn) superconducting strand for ITER's toroidal field coils began in 2009 and has now topped 400 tons.

Reaction Engines Ltd., a UK based company, has successfully completed another series of tests of the key component for a new engine, SABRE, that will enable aircraft to fly anywhere on Earth in under 4 hours, or directly into space and back to deliver satellites and other cargo.

NASA recently completed a major space technology development milestone by successfully testing a large, pressurized cryogenic propellant tank made of composite materials. The composite tank will enable the next generation of rockets and spacecraft needed for space exploration.

With the repair and reinstallation of the cryomodule known as CM2, researchers at Fermilab are back on the road toward achieving the International Linear Collider’s R&D goal (named task force “S1”): operating a cryomodule at ILC gradient specifications.

A study led by Washington State University researchers has turned a fairly common nonmetallic solvent into a superconductor capable of transmitting electrical current with none of the resistance seen in conventional conductors.

On June 12, scientists on three continents celebrated the completion of the design for the International Linear Collider (ILC), a next-generation particle collider.

A House panel approved appropriations legislation July 10 that would give NASA $16.6 billion for 2014, cutting agency spending back to levels not seen since 2007.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has begun testing an indigenously developed cryogenic engine, mounted on the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) — MK II.

Northrop Grumman Corporation and teammate ATK have completed manufacturing of the backplane support frame (BSF) for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.