Column: Helium is widely used but limited on Earth

Helium is No. 2. It is the second-lightest element on the periodic table with atomic number of two. It is the second most abundant element in the universe after hydrogen’s 75%, comprising 23%, the same as its abundance in the sun.

Its name comes from its discovery in the spectrum of the sun (“Helios” in Greek) in 1868. In 1882 it was discovered on Earth in the gases emitted by Vesuvius, and in 1889 in the gas given off by the mineral uraninite (uranium oxide).

Helium is extremely rare here on Earth, about five ten-thousandths of 1% (0.0005%).

Because of its light weight, helium is not gravitationally bound to Earth. Its molecules reach escape velocity, and it leaks through the top of the atmosphere into space. It is replaced by alpha decay of radioactive elements such as uranium in Earth’s crust.

Alpha decay provides an ample supply and decent reservoirs. The world’s supply is not particularly small, but it is limited, as is our ability to mine it.

The United States has been the largest producer of helium since 1925 due to a massive reserve (Federal Helium Reserve), which is natural gas deposits in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. Other top producers are Algeria, Russia and Qatar.

The Federal Helium Reserve is due to quit production in 2021, and exploration scientists are looking for a replacement. At present about 79% of our imports come from Qatar, but Russia has substantial deposits and is poised to become a major helium producer and supplier in the global market chain. A team of researchers has discovered a huge supply in Tanzania that could be enough to alleviate the shortage for the time being.

Experts forecast that by 2030 consumption of helium could reach roughly 311 million to 408 million cubic yards, while production will be lagging behind at roughly 278.5 million to 311 million cubic yards.

Your neighborhood party store may be out of helium because there is a worldwide helium shortage that caused helium prices to jump 135% in the last year. Party supply store Party City saw its share price shrink 30% this year, and it is closing a number of stores due to the shortage.

Commercial helium has many uses. Helium gas is used to inflate blimps, scientific balloons and party balloons; as an inert shield for arc welding; to pressurize the fuel tanks of liquid-fueled rockets; and in supersonic wind tunnels.

Deep-sea divers use helium combined with oxygen to create a nitrogen-free atmosphere so that they will not suffer from nitrogen narcosis and the bends.

Liquid helium is an important cryogenic material and is used to study superconductivity and to create superconductive magnets for use in magnetic resonance imaging and particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider, in which researchers found the Higgs boson a few years back.

It is used to make silicon wafers and in photovoltaics.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, “lifting” accounted for 17% of helium use last year, including hot air balloons, airships and party balloons, while MRIs and other laboratory applications ate up 45%.

Helium is an inert gas and no known compounds contain helium. This makes it more efficacious to use and store, but to avoid waste some researchers capture, re-pressurize and purify as much as 80% of the gas.

Most users do not recapture the helium, and for now it looks like supplies are forthcoming. However, helium is a semirenewable resource and will eventually run out as long as usage exceeds radioactive recharge.

Richard Brill is a retired professor of science at Honolulu Community College. His column runs on the first and third Fridays of the month. Email questions and comments to brill@hawaii.edu.