Consumers feeling the helium squeeze
The second most plentiful element in the universe is suddenly in short supply on this planet.
By Bob Secter
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Friday, November 16, 2007
CHICAGO — Helium is the talk of the party balloon industry these days, and it is not a discussion being carried out in high-pitched giggles.
The second most plentiful element in the universe is suddenly in short supply on this planet, and that means soaring prices for a lot of things, balloons included. "Some customers have told me they're just not going to sell balloons anymore because they can't get helium," said Chicago party wholesaler Lee Brody. "Everybody's scrambling."
As raw materials crises go, the helium shortage clearly takes a back seat to the global oil crunch. But the repercussions go well beyond the cost of decorating birthdays or bar mitzvahs, while also shining a light on an obscure federal helium program that has proved critical to feeding the world's growing appetite.
To most of us, helium is just a novelty gas that floats blimps, bobs huge latex whales over car dealers and makes your voice sound like Daffy Duck when inhaled (which, by the way, experts say is a really bad idea that could lead to a collapsed lung).
But demand for the gas has taken off in industry and scientific research in recent years, and the helium squeeze is being felt everywhere from university physics labs to plants in India, China, Taiwan and Korea that make today's hottest consumer products. Japanese helium suppliers recently warned customers in the electronics industry to prepare for supply cuts of up to 30 percent
...
Austin American-Statesman
That stockpile will be empty in a decade, and new overseas sources have been slow to develop. "We're pedaling as fast as we can here, but we just can't produce enough," said Leslie Theiss, manager of the Federal Helium Reserve near Amarillo.
WisJim wrote:For some reason I had always assumed it was taken from the atmosphere and pressurized or liquified for industrial or other uses, but in doing a little research, I see that it is seperated from natural gas.
Clouseau2 wrote:WisJim wrote:For some reason I had always assumed it was taken from the atmosphere and pressurized or liquified for industrial or other uses, but in doing a little research, I see that it is separated from natural gas.
Someone with a knowledge of chemistry greater than my introductory in high school level might want to correct me, but I would think since Helium is a noble gas (unlike hydrogen) once it gets into the atmosphere it will float away. Hydrogen is also lighter than air but since it can react with other elements it might form bonds and become part of a molecule heavier than air ... Helium does not react.
Clouseau2 wrote:Someone with a knowledge of chemistry greater than my introductory in high school level might want to correct me, but I would think since Helium is a noble gas (unlike hydrogen) once it gets into the atmosphere it will float away.
The second most plentiful element in the universe is suddenly in short supply on this planet.
The agency manages public lands, mostly in the West, and their mineral resources. It handles 42 percent of the U.S. production of crude helium, the colorless, odorless gas best known for inflating balloons that is derived from natural gas production.
The government provides more than one third of the world's helium, selling it to private plants for processing.
The various factors involved in the shortage in recent months should be resolved by November, according to Leslie Theiss, who manages the BLM office in Amarillo, Texas, the heart of U.S. production of helium.
The U.S. government helium production remains at 100 percent, but output will be trimmed in the fall for up to two weeks for scheduled maintenance that has already been postponed to reduce further supply disruptions, Theiss said.
The Helium Privatization Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-273) directs the Department of the Interior to begin liquidating the U.S. Federal Helium Reserve by 2005
You think so?Chuckmak wrote:This reads like a bad sci-fi joke:The second most plentiful element in the universe is suddenly in short supply on this planet.
How much Helium is there?
The expected ultimate extractable amounts of Helium are estimated at 40,000 million Sm3 as of 1 January 2007 by the United States Geological Survey (Sm3 = standard cubic meters). Of this amount 93% is endowed in six countries, the United States, Algeria, Canada, China, Qatar and Russia. This ultimate extractable reserve base has been identified using an economic classification, not a geologic one. The reserve classification here includes currently economic, marginally economic and some of the identified currently subeconomic reserves. Of this ultimate extractable amount 7,030 million Sm3 has been classified as reserves that are extractable using existing technology under current economic conditions. However, for Canada, China and Qatar this data is not available which makes the actual figure likely to be much higher. The countries for which figures are available are the United States (3,500 million Sm3), Algeria (1,850 million Sm3) and Russia (1,680 million Sm3).
Since Helium is a by-product of natural gas production, and the discoveries of natural gas fields peaked in the ‘70s of the 20th century and have been on a declining trend ever since, it is unlikely that much more Helium reserves will be discovered. The earth’s endowment of Helium is therefore quite well known although the figures are not very precise. This is due to a lack of a universal methodology to measure Helium reserves. Whether these figure are on the upside or downside is unknown. For reasons of political nature, governments worldwide normally have a tendency to exaggerate reserve figures and as a result it is likely that the expected ultimate amount of Helium in reality is lower.
TheDude wrote:Was thinking about this recently:
pablonite wrote:TheDude wrote:Was thinking about this recently:
Hmmm. Yeah, we would probably be at peak helium if we are at peak hydrocarbon production. I thought most Helium was formed through processes in the earths mantle and seeps up through the crust into hydrocarbon formations? I don't know much about it other than it would be difficult to manufacture without losing energy.
It would be ironic if we had a shortage of the second most abundant element in the universe!
Alfred Tennyson wrote:We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 8 guests