Helium shortage?

[KI4MVP]

A helium shortage is in the news today. How is it possible we have a helium shortage? It's the 2nd most abundant element in the universe. And when it's used, it remains helium. It's not burned away like fossil fuels.

Also, from one of the articles:

Helium is used in deep sea diving, airbags, cryogenics, rocket fuel, MRI machines and in areas of tech that include fiber optics and semiconductors. ​

But the headlines and photos are all about party balloons. How can party balloons be the top story?

@gourimoko

 

[Cavatt]

A helium shortage is in the news today. How is it possible we have a helium shortage? It's the 2nd most abundant element in the universe. And when it's used, it remains helium. It's not burned away like fossil fuels.

Also, from one of the articles:

Helium is used in deep sea diving, airbags, cryogenics, rocket fuel, MRI machines and in areas of tech that include fiber optics and semiconductors. ​

But the headlines and photos are all about party balloons. How can party balloons be the top story?

@gourimoko

Yes it's abundant, but it is one of the few gases that actually escapes into space. This has been coming for awhile and the government has kept the price artificially low.

The most important use is a coolant for supper conducting magnets. Word we waste it on balloons. Most helium comes from m Texas.

I think scientists have been counting on fusion solving this where we could separate water into hydrogen and then run fusion to get helium

 

[KI4MVP]

I think scientists have been counting on fusion solving this where we could separate water into hydrogen and then run fusion to get helium

So the plan is to keep wasting it on party balloons hoping some day we can economically make more with fusion?

We can make balloons float in the air by attaching them to a stick instead of filling them with helium.

 

[Cavatt]

So the plan is to keep wasting it on party balloons hoping some day we can economically make more with fusion?

We can make balloons float in the air by attaching them to a stick instead of filling them with helium.

I've read about this and it is pretty confusing. Congress voted years ago that we should sell our helium reserves at a specific price

I believe the US Government actually owns most of the Helium in the world.

I can only imagine a large medical company that wanted cheap Helium for MRI machines wrote that law.

I used to think it was a conspiracy and fusion was already achieved.

 

[KI4MVP]

I've read about this and it is pretty confusing. Congress voted years ago that we should sell our helium reserves at a specific price

It's always trouble when congress is the one who makes decisions scientists should make.

 

[natedagg]

It's always trouble when congress is the one who makes decisions scientists should make.

Scurries off to find helium futures... Nate going long for the next helium bull market.

 

[gourimoko]

A helium shortage is in the news today. How is it possible we have a helium shortage? It's the 2nd most abundant element in the universe. And when it's used, it remains helium. It's not burned away like fossil fuels.

Also, from one of the articles:

Helium is used in deep sea diving, airbags, cryogenics, rocket fuel, MRI machines and in areas of tech that include fiber optics and semiconductors. ​

But the headlines and photos are all about party balloons. How can party balloons be the top story?

@gourimoko

Well, FWIW, we've had a helium shortage for years. It isn't a renewable resource, nor is it easily extracted from the atmosphere. And you're right it is the second most abundant element in the universe but not on terrestrial bodies.

The vast majority of helium in the universe was created immediately after the big bang in a process known as big bang nucleosynthesis. But these gases don't make up the bulk of what's found on Earth. Instead, the helium on Earth is a byproduct of radioactive decay; in this particular case, we're talking about alpha decay. The resulting alpha particle emitted (most commonly from uranium and thorium on Earth) is effectively a helium-4 nucleus. That is where terrestrial helium originates, rather than what you'd find in space.

 

[natedagg]

Well, FWIW, we've had a helium shortage for years. It isn't a renewable resource, nor is it easily extracted from the atmosphere. And you're right it is the second most abundant element in the universe but not on terrestrial bodies.

The vast majority of helium in the universe was created immediately after the big bang in a process known as big bang nucleosynthesis. But these gases don't make up the bulk of what's found on Earth. Instead, the helium on Earth is a byproduct of radioactive decay; in this particular case, we're talking about alpha decay. The resulting alpha particle emitted (most commonly from uranium and thorium on Earth) is effectively a helium-4 nucleus. That is where terrestrial helium originates, rather than what you'd find in space.

Yeah well the weekly chart for APD says it is more of a thing now than ever.

What a weird thing. Helium shortage. Love it.

 

[Triplethreat]

Well, FWIW, we've had a helium shortage for years. It isn't a renewable resource, nor is it easily extracted from the atmosphere. And you're right it is the second most abundant element in the universe but not on terrestrial bodies.

The vast majority of helium in the universe was created immediately after the big bang in a process known as big bang nucleosynthesis. But these gases don't make up the bulk of what's found on Earth. Instead, the helium on Earth is a byproduct of radioactive decay; in this particular case, we're talking about alpha decay. The resulting alpha particle emitted (most commonly from uranium and thorium on Earth) is effectively a helium-4 nucleus. That is where terrestrial helium originates, rather than what you'd find in space.

This is gibberish.

 

[Cavatt]

Yeah well the weekly chart for APD says it is more of a thing now than ever.

What a weird thing. Helium shortage. Love it.

In Iowa, you haven't been able to buy it for balloons since at least 2012. It's been known. We are getting close to what they said was the end game then.

 

[gourimoko]

This is gibberish.

The helium on Earth comes from rock ore found in the ground. The helium in space has been there since the dawn of the universe. They're the same stuff, but come from very different sources.

 

[Adam]

I read about 5 years ago they found a huge deposit in Afghanistan. I'm really worried about the helium shortage but in the uk you can buy a cannister for a few pounds. most of the He in superconducting systems like NMR is recycled by a compressor that sounds like a parrot squarking a little, at least the ones in uni of oxford do.

 

[2 For The Brew]

The government keeps the price artificially low and there's a shortage. Shocking.

 

[natedagg]

@gourimoko what’s the viability and economic reality of getting this stuff off of the moon?

Like Bezos is talking about moon flights by 2024... is it feasible to get it off of the moon?

 

[Cratylus]

@gourimoko what’s the viability and economic reality of getting this stuff off of the moon?

Like Bezos is talking about moon flights by 2024... is it feasible to get it off of the moon?

Not financially feasible at all. Better to look for it in natural gas reserves as a by-product of radioactive decay.