Ian Richardson receives Klaus and Jean Timmerhaus Award
jacob.leachmanHYPER lab member Ian Richardson received the Klaus and Jean Timmerhaus Award at the Cryogenics Engineering Conference in Tucson today. This biennial award recognizes the top graduate student in the field of cryogenics in the United States. More information is in the WSU News write-up here. Congratulations Ian!
Why equilibrium hydrogen doesn’t exist
jacob.leachmanAs you already know, hydrogen is unique among fluids for a number of reasons. I like to introduce one of these key differences from the historical perspective:
In 1932, Werner Heisenberg won the Nobel Prize in physics “for the creation of quantum mechanics, the application of which has, inter alia, led to the discovery of the allotropic forms of hydrogen.” These allotropic forms of hydrogen called orthohydrogen and parahydrogen exist due to parity between the nuclear spin and rotational spin function for the hydrogen molecule. Orthohydrogen is a higher energy triplet restricted to odd rotational energy levels (J = 1,3,5…) and parahydrogen is a lower … » More …
System design guidelines for user facilities
jacob.leachmanWe’re just over 1 month into refurbishing our new lab space in suites 108 and 113 of the Thermal Fluids Research Building (TFRB). We’re following the 5-S philosophy from Lean Manufacturing: 1) Sort, 2) Systemize, 3) Shine, 4) Standardize, and 5) Sustain. Recent posts have shown we’re nearing the end of phase 1 and are starting to look towards the design of our working systems within the space. What we decide matters. So what design rules can we follow to … » More …
Thermal Fluids Research Building (TFRB) Refurbishment
Elijah ShoemakeWith the mass outpouring of support for the development and design of a hydrogen refueling station to submit to the DOE’s H2 refuel competition, we needed an effective design and work space large enough to support everyone. Luckily, we have around 5,000 square feet of space in the Thermal Fluids Research Building (TFRB) set aside for this project. Unfortunately, this space previously contained a wood shop and spare storage facilities, leaving much to be desired from a usability perspective. Several student volunteers have been coming in every day to help fix this project, and we have some bold plans to make the space a … » More …