India’s First Liquid Helium Cryogenic Facility

Union Minister of State for Science & Technology inaugurated a new Liquid Helium Facility, marking a milestone in India’s capabilities in quantum science, cryogenics, advanced materials, and next-generation computing.

Liquid Helium Facility

• Inaugurated as a national research infrastructure asset.
• It Supports:
  • Cryogenic engineering
  • Superconductivity
  • Quantum computing & sensing
  • Photonics
  • Healthcare technologies
  • Green energy devices
• The facility is Critical for MRI systems, Cryogenic Electron Microscopy (cryo-EM) and Advanced materials characterisation
• Equipped with an efficient helium recovery system:
  • Expected to reduce cost of cryogenic experiments to nearly one-tenth
  • Conserves liquid helium, one of the rarest resources

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About Liquid helium 

• Liquid helium is helium gas in its liquid state obtained by cooling helium to extremely low temperatures.
• It is the coldest known liquid and is widely used in advanced scientific and industrial applications.
• Physical Properties:
  • Helium liquefies at around –269°C (4.2 Kelvin) at normal atmospheric pressure.
  • It has an extremely low boiling point, lower than any other element.
  • Liquid helium has very low density and very low viscosity.
  • It is chemically inert and non-toxic, making it safe for controlled industrial use.
• Major Uses:
  • Liquid helium is widely used to cool superconducting magnets in MRI machines.
  • It is used in particle accelerators and high-energy physics experiments.
  • It is essential for quantum computing and quantum research because it provides ultra-low temperature environments.
  • It is used in space science to cool infrared sensors in satellites and telescopes.

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