Largest ever gas mix caught in ultra-freeze trap

A team of scientists have made it easier to study atomic or subatomic-scale properties of the building blocks of matter (which also include protons, neutrons and electrons) known as fermions by slowing down the movement of a large quantity of gaseous atoms at ultra-low temperature.

This is according to a study recently published in The European Physical Journal D as part of a cold quantum matter special issue, by researchers from the Paris-based École Normale Supérieure and the Non-Linear Institute at Nice Sophia-Antipolis University in France.

Thanks to the laser cooling method for which Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, Steven Chu and William D. Phillips received the Nobel Prize in 1997, Armin Ridinger and his colleagues succeeded in creating the largest Lithium 6 (6Li) and Potassium 40 (40K) gas mixture to date. The method used involved confining gaseous atoms under an ultra-high vacuum using electromagnetic forces, in an ultra-freeze trap of sorts.

This trap enabled them to load twice as many atoms than previous attempts at studying such gas mixtures, reaching a total on the order of a few billion atoms under study at a temperature of only a few hundred microKelvins (corresponding to a temperature near the absolute zero of roughly -273 °C).

Given that the results of this study significantly increased the number of gaseous atoms under study, it will facilitate future simulation of subatomic-scale phenomena in gases. In particular, it will enable future experiments in which the gas mixture is brought to a so-called degenerate state characterised by particles of different species with very strong interactions. Following international efforts to produce the conditions to study subatomic-scale properties of matter under the quantum simulation program, this could ultimately help scientists to understand quantum mechanical phenomena occurring in neutron stars and so-called many-body problems such as high-temperature superconductivity.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Springer Science+Business Media.

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Journal Reference:

A. Ridinger, S. Chaudhuri, T. Salez, U. Eismann, D. R. Fernandes, K. Magalhaes, D. Wilkowski, C. Salomon, F. Chevy. Large atom number dual-species magneto-optical trap for fermionic 6Li and 40K atoms. The European Physical Journal D, 2011; 65 (1-2): 223 DOI: 10.1140/epjd/e2011-20069-4

Linde to build largest air separation plant in Indonesia

PT. Linde Indonesia, a member of The Linde Group, announced that it had entered into a long term industrial gases supply scheme agreement with PT. KRAKATAU POSCO (PT.KP).

PT. KRAKATAU POSCO, a joint venture between POSCO and Krakatau Steel, is building a three million tonnes per annum (mtpa) steelworks in the first phase in the Cilegon area, located about 100 km west of Jakarta. PT.KP's new plant will be the first integrated steelworks in Southeast Asia and is targeted to be onstream by the end of 2013.

To support the gases requirements of PT.KP’s new  steel plant, Linde will invest about IDR 1 trillion (about EUR 88 million) to install a new air separation plant at Cilegon which is capable of producing approximately 2,000 tons per day (tpd) of oxygen.  In addition to meeting the 1,680 tpd oxygen requirement of PT.KP’s new steelworks, Linde’s new plant, which will be commissioned by October 2013, will also produce liquid products to meet the growing demand for industrial gases in West Java.

Mr Sanjiv Lamba, Member of the Executive Board of Linde AG, and Regional Business Unit Head for Linde South & East Asia, said, "The Linde Group is keen to expand our business in Indonesia, one of the fastest growing economies in this region. Our decision to invest and build what will be Indonesia’s largest air separation plant, and also Linde’s largest investment in Indonesia to date, demonstrates our continued commitment to support our valuable customer PT.KP in its growth plans, and also meet future demand and market opportunities going forward," Mr Lamba added.

Mr Darren Webster, President Director of PT. Linde Indonesia said, "The signing of this long term supply scheme contract is a major milestone for Linde in Indonesia. Our new air separation plant will produce more than 3,000 tpd of oxygen, nitrogen and argon, and will enable us to significantly increase our production capacity and enhance our ability to serve the fast growing West Java area," Mr Webster noted.

 

BASF to build world’s largest single-train TDI plant in Europe

 BASF will build the world’s largest single-train TDI (toluene diisocyanate) plant in Europe. The plant will have a capacity of 300,000 metric tons per year and will be fully integrated with precursor production. The TDI plant will be located at one of the company’s integrated Verbund sites in Antwerp, Belgium or Ludwigshafen, Germany and will start production in 2014. Engineering is underway and the final site selection will be announced shortly. TDI is a key component used for polyurethane foams.

Dr. Martin Brudermüller, Vice Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE and responsible for the Plastics segment, said: “This new investment supports BASF’s growth strategy, underlines our leading position as the largest TDI producer and reinforces our strong commitment to the TDI market. BASF will have the ability to serve its customers’ demand through local world-scale production in the largest markets North America, Europe and Asia, in particular China. We have a superior technology and outstanding safety procedures. Moreover, our unique Verbund concept provides us with excellent cost structures."

“With this new plant, we will complement our strong global network of integrated world-scale TDI facilities to serve our customers’ growing demand,” said Wayne T. Smith, President of BASF’s Polyurethanes division. “We expect the global TDI market to grow faster than GDP in the coming years, with strong contribution from Central and Eastern
Europe, Middle East and Africa. This growth is driven by ongoing urbanization and increasing standards of living.”

TDI is a key component for the polyurethanes industry. To a large extent it is used in the automotive industry (e.g. seating cushion and interior applications) as well as in the furniture segment (e.g. flexible foams for mattresses, cushions or wood coating).

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