CryoLab provides New Zealand’s only dedicated applied cryogenics capability, offering industry partners access to advanced cryogenic refrigeration, fluids engineering, and thermodynamic expertise. Based within UC’s Mechanical Engineering Department, the lab delivers end-to-end support for organisations developing low temperature systems, superconducting technologies, and next-generation aerospace and energy solutions.
Our team specialises in cryocooler development, system modelling, heat exchange optimisation, and the integration of cryogenic technologies into commercial products and industrial environments. We support feasibility studies, prototype development, performance testing, and problem solving for companies working with liquid hydrogen, LNG, superconductors, sensors, and space related systems.
CryoLab also leads the cryogenics workstream in New Zealand’s flagship research programme for superconducting electric aircraft motors—advancing technologies that will underpin future clean aviation and high efficiency power systems.
With decades of experience and specialised equipment transferred from Callaghan Innovation, CryoLab offers a nationally unique, industry ready service capability for organisations seeking expert guidance, technical development, or collaborative R&D in cryogenics and thermal systems.
Capabilities include mechanical finite element analysis (FEA), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), CAD design, modelling, thermodynamics and fluids modelling, dynamic systems modelling, hydrogen, cryogenic design and modelling.
CryoLab is funded through research grants and fee-for-service R&D.
