User:Mkdobreva/sandbox/Shortage of helium

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Shortage of helium

The discovery of Helium

Helium was first discovered during a total solar eclipse that occurred on August 18, 1868, by French astronomer Pierre Janssen with the aid of an early spectrograph. Eclipses create unique conditions which allow scientists to carry out many experiments which can be very difficult or simply impossible at other times.

Where does helium come from?

Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe, hydrogen being the first. Our only source of helium is from within the Earth, at least for the foreseeable future. Helium is especially prone to atmospheric escape, so it is far rarer on the earth than some of its more abundant counterparts. Helium cannot be extracted from other abundant gases or materials in a cost-effective manner so instead, it is sourced from underground, effectively as a mined resource.

Companies extract helium from underground natural gas and then cool it to 460 degrees BELOW ZERO on the Fahrenheit temperature scale, so it takes its liquid form. This makes the helium easier to transport. The extraction and cooling process is very expensive, especially when compared to the return it generates. This may be why there are only a few large companies in the helium business worldwide, such as Praxair and Air Products & Chemicals. This leaves the helium market vulnerable to abrupt changes in the supply chain.

The politics of helium

Helium has been a political and strategic resource ever since World War I when it was used in airships, such as the Zeppelin, in the early 1900s. The uncertainty over the U.S. helium supply in recent years has raised concerns about the U.S. domestic helium supply chain, causing consumers to look for ways to diversify their sources or to look for alternatives. Qatar, the world’s second-biggest producer of helium, is in constant upheaval with international disputes on human rights, Sharia law and diplomatic crises. Events in Qatar such as the recent 2017–18 Qatar diplomatic crisis, constantly affect the supply of helium. This is concerning, as helium is critical for certain modern technologies and medical equipment and applications, forcing the appraisal of surrogate supplies & alternative methodology.

Economics of helium storage

The amount of helium which can be kept in storage depends on several factors. In a normal competing market, shortages or surpluses affect the product price. Usually, product price is determined by production costs in addition to a profit cost. With so few helium refiners in action and with a finite supply, assessing future markets and strategic decision making with regards to storage can be extremely difficult. These storage decisions are made even more challenging when the additional factors of the everchanging political landscape and associated legislation changes are taken into account. In short, the volatile helium market makes the need for helium storage even more difficult to assess.

Why is there a shortage of helium?

In 2012 the US produced an estimated 78% of the world’s helium, with around 30% of the U.S. helium production coming from the NHR (National Helium Reserve). The shortage of helium has been caused by a number of factors, including worldwide refinery equipment failures and scheduled maintenance shutdowns in several of the world’s natural-gas refineries, causing a disruption in supply. These factors coupled with an increasing demand for helium from newly industrialised countries such as China mean that we are moving even closer to a worldwide helium shortage. Presently, customers are already seeing stark price increases and supply problems as private companies struggle to meet demand. Figures published by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) show that while the volume of helium extracted from natural-gas fields has remained steady over the past 5 years, consumption from the NHR has steadily increased. In the same period, exports of US helium have risen to 60% of the total, and with the NHR rapidly being depleted, the current situation appears to be unsustainable. Worldwide helium demand far exceeds production and therefore alternatives to helium must be sought for a number of technologies.

What is helium used for?

Helium has a multitude of uses, in the medical market, for chemistry applications, and it is even used by the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland to keep cool. In fact, keeping things cool is one of the main reasons why helium is used. Under standard atmospheric conditions helium never freezes, even when approaching absolute zero helium still retains a liquid form.

Potential Alternatives to Helium

Cryogenics

Applications requiring temperatures of below -256°C will still require liquid Helium, but alternatives are currently available for cooling of MRI scanner magnets and other applications requiring superconductors. Liquid Nitrogen can be used in some cooling systems and there are now several companies which specialise in water-cooling ‘chiller’ solutions for cooling of MRIs.

Shielding Gas for Welding

Helium is commonly used as a shield gas for non-ferrous welding. However, argon can be used instead of helium and is preferred for certain types of metal.

Balloons

Helium is used for lots of lighter than air applications, for example, party balloons. For some of the lighter than air applications hydrogen can be a suitable alternative, as long as its flammable nature is not an issue.

Purge gas

Helium and argon are commonly used as purge gases due to their inertness, but nitrogen, which is also inert, is probably the most widely used purge gas in industrial applications. The increasing scarcity of helium is likely to lead to an increase in the use of argon and nitrogen as purge gases.

Controlled Atmospheres

Helium is commonly used in controlled atmosphere applications, but nitrogen offers a cheaper more viable option for some of these applications, such as long-term storage of foodstuffs.

Deep Sea Diving Gases

Helium is commonly mixed with oxygen to prevent deep-sea divers from developing nitrogen narcosis symptoms, but hydrogen/oxygen mixtures are also used for deep diving and may become increasingly popular as helium prices rise.

Gas Chromatography

Helium can also be used as carrier gas for gas chromatography. However, hydrogen offers a number of advantages to helium for gas chromatography including lower cost, availability through electrolysis of water, and improved sampling speed. For these reasons, plus the fact that helium is a finite resource, many chromatography laboratories are actively changing from using helium to hydrogen for their carrier gas.