How are the superconductors made cold?
High-temperature superconductors can be cooled into the superconducting state by immersing them in liquid nitrogen, which is available nearly anywhere because of its routine use in medicine, food processing and other industries. For most of Conductus’ products, however, the cooling is provided by a mechanical refrigerator. Low-temperature or cryogenic refrigerators are commercially available from a number of manufacturers; they are widely used in the semiconductor processing industry as well as in aerospace and other applications. Depending upon the nature of the application, such refrigerators can range in size from as large as a typical window air conditioner to as small as a soda can. Refrigerators based on the Gifford-McMahon cycle are designed to run for years without mechanical failure. A commercial cryogenic refrigerator.
