How is helium stored

Having very low viscosity, hydrogen gas can provide the highest mobility rate of all carrier gases, reducing time for sample analysis. Benefits of cost savings is also another factor to be considered when opting for a carrier gas alternative. Hydrogen gas, unlike helium, can be produced on-site through electrolysis of deionized water using a hydrogen generator, providing the purity required for efficient analysis.

As opposed to storing helium or hydrogen gas in cylinders, hydrogen can be accessed on demand with a hydrogen generator, ensuring that the hydrogen gas generated corresponds to the amount required for the application and no excess gas needs to be ordered in advance.

The safety of hydrogen gas is often a concern for researchers looking for a carrier gas alternative. Pressurized gas cylinders — for both hydrogen and helium — can pose a safety threat due to the high volume of gas stored in a hydrogen or helium gas tank. However, these concerns are mitigated with the low volume of gas stored and the robust safety technology of on-site hydrogen generators. Nowadays, in-house hydrogen generators are equipped with safety detectors which ensure the system is shut down in the event of a leak and risks are reduced to the bare minimum.

With growing fears over the scarcity of resources for the extraction of helium gas and a price tag that is set to rise, laboratories are resorting to other options for their choice of carrier gas. Hydrogen generators are often the top choice for gas chromatography, offering a dependable and safe gas flow. Helium - what is the current cost to labs? University research labs are struggling to cope with rising helium prices. How is Helium Gas Obtained?

Helium gas reserves and supply-chain The global demand for helium continues to increase, causing major concern over the finite resource of helium gas, thereby rendering the supply chain fragile. Natural gas is separated into its major components through a distillation process known as fractional distillation.

Sometimes this name is shortened to fractionation, and the vertical structures used to perform this separation are called fractionating columns.

In the fractional distillation process, the nitrogen and methane are separated in two stages, leaving a mixture of gases containing a high percentage of helium. At each stage the level of concentration, or fraction, of each component is increased until the separation is complete. In the natural gas All impurities that might solidify and clog the cryogenic piping is removed from the natural gas in a pretreatment process.

After pretreatment, the natural gas components are separated in a process called fractional distillation. Crude helium must be further purified to remove most of the other materials. This is usually a multi-stage process involving several different separation methods depending on the purity of the crude helium and the intended application of the final product. Helium is distributed either as a gas at normal temperatures or as a liquid at very low temperatures. Gaseous helium is distributed in forged steel or aluminum alloy cylinders at pressures in the range of , psi MPa or atm.

Bulk quantities of liquid helium are distributed in insulated containers with capacities up to about 14, gallons 56, liters. The Compressed Gas Association establishes grading standards for helium based on the amount and type of impurities present.

Commercial helium grades start with grade M, which is Other higher grades include grade N, grade P, and grade G. Grade G is Periodic sampling and analysis of the final product ensures that the standards of purity are being met.

In , the United States government proposed that the government-funded storage program for helium be halted. This has many scientists worried. They point out that helium is essentially a waste product of natural gas processing, and without a government storage facility, most of the helium will simply be vented into the atmosphere, where it will escape into space and be lost forever.

Some scientists predict that if this happens, the known reserves of helium on Earth may be depleted by the year Brady, George S. Clauser, and John A. Materials Handbook, 14th Edition. McGraw-Hill, Heiserman, David L. Exploring Chemical Elements and Their Compounds. TAB Books, Kroschwitz, Jacqueline I. Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, 4th edition. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Stwertka, Albert. Behind the US, are Algeria and Qatar, respectively, in terms of recoverable helium.

The current helium shortage that we have today is the result of a number of factors, both directly related to the gas supply itself and also because of the economic factors surrounding it.

Though we had previously stockpiled it as part of the war effort, the later decision by former President Bill Clinton to sign into law the Helium Privatization Act of changed that with its requirement that the US government sell off its supply by The idea was that the private market could figure out where the helium would be best used, but instead it kept the price of helium artificially low relative to its scarcity, leading to the rapid sale of much of the gas. While balloons are probably the least important use of helium, they are something of a canary in the coal mine for other businesses - especially given that the BLM reserves are on track to depletion by [4].

Ambitious capitalists are taking notice though, and natural gas supply chains are increasingly looking to integrate helium extraction into their processes for large projects. Qatar and Russia are also exploring opportunities within their own natural gas fields to extract and sell helium. So in other words, while helium supply is unlikely to totally run out, your favorite Thanksgiving Day parade floats might be grounded. But it could be about to get way more expensive.

Topics: Specialty Gases , industrial gases , helium , helium shortage. Look to the WestAir blog for information to help you effectively and safely use gases in your industrial and specialty processes. Specialty Gas Catalog. WestAir Blog. Visit the WestAir blog to get more information about welding, gases, and gas-related processes.

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