chopped
Veteran Member
Where is the Helium?My grand daughter was crying when the store didnt have any balloons.:thumbdown:They said they had been since june.Nationwise shortage.............:confused3::confused3::confused3:WHAT THE HELIUM????
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Where is the Helium?My grand daughter was crying when the store didnt have any balloons.:thumbdown:They said they had been since june.Nationwise shortage.............:confused3::confused3::confused3:
Bob77064
Elite Member
Seems like there are many businesses wanting to get in the " shortages "
Willl
Elite Member
MikeFarm
Gold Member
Hi all
Decades in the future people will be astounded that He was squandered by being used in balloons to entertain children It is an non renewable resource, very much like oil, but for many applications there is no alternative possible. It's used in PC hard drives, super-conducting magnets, essential for ultra low temperature applications around a few Kelvin, scientific research, leak detection for vacuum systems, medical equipment and, perhaps in the future fusion machines.
Mike
Decades in the future people will be astounded that He was squandered by being used in balloons to entertain children
It is an non renewable resource, very much like oil, but for many applications there is no alternative possible. It's used in PC hard drives, super-conducting magnets, essential for ultra low temperature applications around a few Kelvin, scientific research, leak detection for vacuum systems, medical equipment and, perhaps in the future fusion machines. Mike
k0ua
Epic Contributor
Hi all
Decades in the future people will be astounded that He was squandered by being used in balloons to entertain children
Mike
Exactly. I cannot believe we have been throwing away such a precious resource as helium in helium balloons.
James K0UA
OP
chopped
Veteran Member
Years ago I grabbed a tank from work to take to the sunday school last day. I filled maybe 15 balloons for the kids and they were excited.Along came one 'killjoy' she went on how I was killing birds.
I wasnt sure what the heck she was talking about. And my dad replied. i dotn see anyone gripping about all those released in the presidential partys. lol Later my explained how birds could choke on the ballons.While it was a valid concern I think it was outweighed.. but what do I know.lol
I wasnt sure what the heck she was talking about. And my dad replied. i dotn see anyone gripping about all those released in the presidential partys. lol Later my explained how birds could choke on the ballons.While it was a valid concern I think it was outweighed.. but what do I know.lol
scrappy isb67
Gold Member
helium isn't consumed! it is released BACK to the atmosphere where it cam from originally. the only wasteful part about it is that it has to be isolated again to use for something else costing more money.
k0ua
Epic Contributor
If you can figure out a way to get helium back out of outer space to re-use it.. let me know..
scrappy isb67
Gold Member
Our atmosphere has helium in it and we are talking about kids balloons, not many kids I know are in space!
joshuabardwell
Elite Member
k0ua
Epic Contributor
Sorry.. you cannot recover what minute amount of helium is in our atmosphere. and that is being lost to outer space continuously. It is obtained from Natural gas wells. It is not distilled by fractional distillation of air like neon or argon. It is a finite resource (apparently) and Not all Natural gas wells have enough helium in them to make the distillation of it from Natural gas feasible. The Helium reserve is being depleted by law since 1996, as the federal government is getting out of the helium business. Which is fine, but commercial plants have not been built fast enough to keep up with demand.. One is now being built in Wy. and another in Algeria to extract the helium from Natural gas. The Helium you put in a helium balloon is lost forever never to be reclaimed. Whether we should be allowed to fill helium balloons and let them go is up for debate in society. But do not get the impression that we can recover that gas again from the atmosphere..
James K0UA
k0ua
Epic Contributor
If the ****'s had been able to distill Helium from air wouldn't they have done so instead of using unsafe Hydrogen? The reason the Hindenburg was using Hydrogen instead of Helium was because the US had the corner (at the time) on the Helium market from our Helium "wells" in New Mexico. Those "wells" which are Natural gas (methane) wells still have the highest concentration of Helium of any known Natural Gas wells in the world. We refused to sell Helium to **** Germany and they were forced to use Hydrogen for their lifting gas.. Which works better than Helium anyway as the Hydrogen molecule is smaller than Helium (and is manufactured) but it sure is dangerous.
James K0UA
James K0UA
OP
chopped
Veteran Member
Where does helium come from?
Helium is plentiful in the universe but on earth we only have a limited amount of helium available. The technology advances made in the last century, from lasers to space flight and Magnetic Resonance Imaging to titanium welding has certainly left us with a constrained reservoir of helium atoms. Today we are seeing saturation diving systems recovering helium, and also in MRI痴 we see recovery processes to conserve these precious atoms.
Helium is plentiful in the universe but on earth we only have a limited amount of helium available. The technology advances made in the last century, from lasers to space flight and Magnetic Resonance Imaging to titanium welding has certainly left us with a constrained reservoir of helium atoms. Today we are seeing saturation diving systems recovering helium, and also in MRI痴 we see recovery processes to conserve these precious atoms.
2LaneCruzer
Epic Contributor
I believe there are trace amounts of Helium in the ambient air; in the range of parts per billion/trillion. I also understand that the technology exists to extract it, but not economically. I recall during a chemistry lecture back in the dark ages, our professor told us that the fuel tanks on space vehicles, in order to prevent collapse during the rapid use of fuel, were pressurized by helium. He surmised that the Russians, who had no known helium resources of their own, must have extracted it from the air. True or not, I don't know, but it makes a good story.
k0ua
Epic Contributor
Russia is one of the countries that have Helium in their Natural Gas Wells. They are a net exporter of Helium.
James K0UA
moeh1
Gold Member
If you worked to recover all the helium in the air by re-tooling all the industrial gas plants, you would only get about 1% of today's usage....recovery from natural gas wells with lower yields would be way cheaper.
Scooby074
Super Member
Most people have no idea just how much their lives are touched by helium, so much more than party balloons!
I'd argue that it really is a strategic resource and as such, the government should be in control.
I'd argue that it really is a strategic resource and as such, the government should be in control.
2LaneCruzer
Epic Contributor
Yeah, in doing a bit of surfing for helium, it became obvious that Russia had plenty.
OP
chopped
Veteran Member
Well Im sure people have found that once you become aware of something you tend to take notice.Like in my older days when I was trying to get a good TV signal. I tried all kinds of methods ,height ,amps, wire ,rotors etc.I also found Id be driving and I would be 'stalking' peoples rooftops. Seeing just what they had ..oops I guess thats another thrad lol
Well my point is I am now looking for ballons and who has them.lol Seems many other stores carry them, My particular case was a dollar store so I assume it is price driven to some respect.
Either way it has sure opened my eyes to things,
Oh BTW the little one was just as happy with the 'ballon on a stick' as she was with the helium ones.lol
possibly she was more attached to it.
Good to know id get the low down from the TBN members..
Well my point is I am now looking for ballons and who has them.lol Seems many other stores carry them, My particular case was a dollar store so I assume it is price driven to some respect.
Either way it has sure opened my eyes to things,
Oh BTW the little one was just as happy with the 'ballon on a stick' as she was with the helium ones.lol
possibly she was more attached to it.
Good to know id get the low down from the TBN members..
