This is COOL

[James_Terrio]

Sorry for the pun...

I stumbled across a cryo place that uses liquid helium.

At the Cryogenic Institute of New England, we have developed special capabilities to utilize liquid helium for the most advanced and demanding cryogenic treatments and processes. This enables us to bring parts to temperatures approaching absolute zero (0 Kelvin).

While liquid nitrogen typically exists within the range of approximately 77.2 K (–320F), liquid helium exists within the range of approximately 5.2K (-450 F). By utilizing liquid helium as a cryogen, we are able to reach much lower temperatures than most other cryogenic laboratories or processors.

Your thoughts?

 

[Keith_H]

huh. I heard it is expensive stuff. Recently I watched a video where they cooled a processor with it, I think this is it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4jkdfalnYE

 

[James_Terrio]

Yeah, it does sound pricey. I was just wondering if -300F is sufficient to transform all retained austenite, or not.

New Levels of Affordability ...a press release from the same lab:

Cost for the treatment varies, depending on ramp and soak times, but Rhodes estimates that his firm can offer a near absolute zero treatment cycle (to 4K) for less than 30% of the cost of similar processing as offered through governmental and other research organizations.

 

[ddavelarsen]

Okay, I'm a little slow on the uptake - at first I missed the pun in your title. I'm curious what you find out about the cost of the processing.

 

[Steve Hayden]

I have posted this study here a couple of times over the last few years, to point out the things we don't usually hear about cryo from the vendors.

http://www.airproducts.com/NR/rdonl...019GLB.pdf#search="cryogenic quenching steel"

One of the trials run was with liquid He. It had no significient difference from the lN2 runs. Both methods lowered the strength of the A2 steel, while gaining some hardness.

 

[James_Terrio]

Thank you, Steve! I don't have time to read that right now, but I will come back to it later :thumbup: