Where Does Helium Come From - Essay Example

For most common people with typical issues to address in life, there would seem to be no space in thought to accommodate problems of scientific nature or as viewed from the context that they cannot readily engage in understanding as the impending deficiencies in atmospheric elements. Nobel Prize winners in Physics like R. Richardson with colleagues Osheroff and Lee, nevertheless, points out the essential features of ‘helium’ and the reasons which are worth startling the public to the extent of agreeing that expensive costs be imposed on helium for the sustenance of MRIs, fiber optics, rockets, and other machines that hold special vitality in supporting human lives and activities. Where does helium come from? (in geographical, political and economic terms, as much as the chemical origins). Basically, Sun is the primary source of helium, one of the most stable elements, which is yielded through hydrogen fusion reactions in the solar system whereas on Earth, the radioactive decay of massive elements which are chiefly thorium and uranium over billions of years is found to cause helium formation beneath the Earth’s surface. Along with natural gas, the helium produced exudes out of large rock cavities under low pressure into the atmosphere which has approximately five parts of helium per 100,000 parts of air (Lansing, 1995). In 1868, spectrometer was first used to examine the Sun’s chromospheres during a solar eclipse in India where the resulting spectrum confirmed quantities of hydrogen including yellow stripes which were alleged to characterize sodium element. Unconvinced by the initial hypothesis, French astronomer Janssen further investigated on the matter and was able to disclose the truth about the stripes as beyond the traits of sodium but were most likely part of an unknown element’s identity. On a separate intensive research conducted by Lockyer and Frankland, Janssen’s results proved that due to its ‘bright yellow stripe’, the element could not have originated from the earth after which Frankland proposed to call it “helium” coming from the Greek word “Helios” meaning Sun. Similar findings were revealed through a range of spectra of other stars that comprised the yellow stripes whereas Palmieri observed them in gases erupting from Mt. Vesuvius back in 1882. It was not until 1895 that the studies of helium became more meaning when Sir William Ramsay treated a Norwegian ore (cleveite) with acids which yielded evolution of helium gas. Hence, the appearance of the yellowish streak in the experiment marked the certainty that on our planet, helium does exist. After nearly two decades, around the same time radium came to be known, scientists had undergone another batch of efforts that would lay foundations for an understanding of helium as a radioactive substance (Helium, History). Geographical findings indicate that the United States, specifically Texas, makes the world’s largest manufacturer of helium despite the valuable presence of helium extraction facilities in Algeria, Russia, and China. Being distilled from the natural gas that contains appreciable quantity of uranium and thorium to undergo radioactive decomposition, the helium formed is normally derived from rare circumstances of alpha-particle capture occurring underground at considerable depths (Deakin, 2010). Helium is opulently recovered from a region in Amarillo, Texas or the Texas panhandle within a perimeter of 400-km radius and this accounts for a major resource amount that sustains different parts of the world with their helium requirement (Edwards, 2004). Colorado, Kansas, and Oklahoma are also states of origin responsible for contributing small percentages of helium throughout all nations (ScienceDaily). What are the major uses of helium and why are existing reserves irreversibly declining? Several applications of Helium has have been made possible due to the element’s distinct chemical and physical properties such as low boiling point, low density, low solubility, high thermal conductivity, inertness, and the capacity to cool to temperatures below -434 ?F (15 K). Besides the common use in filling or inflating balloons and the potential for autogenous welding as an inert substance, at ultralow temperatures, Helium may be used in eliminating electricity flux resistance that generates a state of superconductivity (Lenntech, 1998). As one of the Nobel gases, it can be heated to produce an orange-red color within a vessel of neon sign which may glow in the dark in addition to other significant functionalities with fiber optics, cryogenics, production of LCD, magnetic resonance, mass spectroscopy, as well as in helium dating by which scientists manage to identify the age of various objects (Mahony, 2010). Moreover, Helium may be utilized in compressing gas to liquid in order to lift and propel rocket ships and for creating high-pitched voice and weather balloons that determine weather conditions. When mixed with oxygen, helium aids divers in deep-sea diving and for sensitive nuclear reactions and chromatographic chemical analysis, helium serves as a working fluid and gas carrier, respectively (Koenig, 2008). According to 1996 Nobel Prize laureate Robert Richardson of Cornell, the looming dearth of helium supply may be highly attributed to the approbation via U.S. policy that helium be sold at cheap costs. In particular, Richardson accuses the Helium Privatization Act of 1996 for “squandering” the reserves of helium that eventually runs the risk of irreversible dissipation, stating “Once helium is released into the atmosphere in the form of party balloons or boiling helium, it is lost from the Earth forever.” He argued that by hugely bargaining the selling price of helium in the market while no alternatives nor recycling advantage exists, there would emerge great probability of growing inadequacy of the element within the next couple of years. Are there other, or different types of reserves that could be exploited? For some of these uses, can replacements be found? – are there other uses for which there is no replacement?  Considering substitutes that work in the absence of helium which happens to be a non-renewable resource, exact replacement via alternatives are currently unavailable despite the combined efforts of science and related fields. Having unique properties that designate helium to be one of its kind compared to hydrocarbon fuels in the form of oil or natural gas, helium goes through the process of depletion into the outer space which, by nature, cannot be reversed. Gases of helium that accumulate on any place would necessarily rise up to spread and disappear without the tendency to shift into another useful form. This scenario manifests how preciously crucial the measure and allocation of the gas could get in time and apparently, some special biosynthesis ought to be discovered to bring about reserves conducive for exploitation. Though helium is the second most abundant element in the universe, this planet appears to possess a relatively low share of it alongside the fact that it is essentially non-renewable derivative of alpha decaying isotopes which are not stable within rocks and minerals. Just to picture in mind such extremely slow process taking place over innumerable years would lead people not to take helium for granted. A number of cryogenic applications like high-end NMR spectrometers have been noted to refrain from operating when helium is not available so then no easy alternative matches its role in this case. For welding of stainless steel, aluminum, or laser welding, Helium may be replaced by alternative gas blends for gas metal arc welding consisting of argon with CO2 and nitrogen at different concentrations or argon, CO2, and hydrogen. As a substitute for helium, hydrogen can enhance the weld’s physical appearance even with CO2 present and can eliminate layers of oxide from the weld while it manages to shift flow properties (Carlson, 2008). On the other hand, Prof. Richardson confesses: “For cryogenic instruments that need liquid helium that boils at four degrees Kelvin there is no replacement. Superconducting magnets, MRI machines, high-field magnets in nuclear magnetic resonance in about every chemistry department depend on a reliable source of liquid helium. And there is no replacement. There are other uses of helium for which there are replacements. In the U.S. helium is used for welding metals, whereas in Europe argon is used. Argon is roughly one percent of the atmosphere rather than 5 ppm. But the government policy in the US has fixed helium at a price that is ridiculously cheap. Frequently it’s less expensive to use helium than argon, and that is insane” (Fischer, 2010). In the balloon industry, decorators opt to maximize the use of air in place of helium for decors that can be hung from the ceiling, swags and draping canapies or even a line of balloon clusters in suspension would do without helium. Filling walls with air by grid systems like SDS or Rouse Matrix enable air to occupy the entire room and through ceiling magnets of Clik-Clik Systems in addition to it, balloons would need no helium as they stay in mid-air via magnetic field. Furthermore, instead of helium-filled balloons, common foils in all shapes and sizes can be filled with air and mounted on latex columns with air at varying heights and sizes or fastened on longer plastic sticks or elongated cups. A variety of inflation utilities from Western Enterprises/Westwinds and Conwin Carbonic allow reduction of helium usage by about 40% since the filler equipments are designed to mix larger volumes of air with it and this technique is conserves more helium in the long run (IBA, 2009). What are the implications of the above findings? – Will technology really grind to a halt, or is this an overstatement?  Apparently, helium scarcity is a far cry from food shortage which only a portion of the world struggles to cope with and may come to resolution with the aid of generosity from the neighboring nations. Much as there exists a variety of food resources via agricultural produce and dairy products that can always be replenished as long as there are plants and animals capable of reproduction, helium consumption behaves otherwise. Permanent irreproducibility of helium at least for within billions of years is a serious case that occurs difficult to believe and is not currently felt for helium is not a commodity that directly reaches the general public or market as a tangible item in demand. Losing reserves of helium at an exponential rate is critical and would bear grave consequences if appropriate actions were not taken with a sense of urgency. With the aforementioned uses to ponder on, how could one possibly imagine an earth void of helium when this is a fundamental necessity to get NASA’s shuttle launched into space? Helium is required for the removal of the hot gas and the super-cooled liquid fuel which ought to be kept from the event of mixing which is potentially hazardous. Perhaps MRI scan is a medical concern beyond the interest of majority in a society but to people who are in dire need to be diagnosed of a certain ailment or illness, helium is of huge essence in cooling wires to ultralow temperatures for the fields created by superconducting magnets to stabilize activity with the MRIs. These superconductive magnets that highly depend upon helium extend their function to particle accelerators for advanced particle research in physics (Bureau of Land Management, 2011). Giving all such findings a critical and contemplative thought, the statements truly deserve to take part in startling humanity and stirring each individual as much as possible to the social awareness of a global crisis that could not afford to be perceived as mere exaggerated warning. Scientific facts could never amount to an overstatement and it is not only the economy of those who purchase the element in its desired form that matters since the proposed increase in cost is meant to save helium from severe exploitation at too unduly cheap a price. Other major implications are identified with the advantages of helium for thermographic cameras and for leak detection from industrial products. Thermographic cameras are employed by rescue teams in search of people in peril especially those who could be tracked beneath smoke or pile of fallen debris. This is normally performed when the device detects heat rather than light and it would not do if helium in liquid state is not around to carry out the duty of cooling the instrument prior to operation since this condition provides it further sensitivity to temperature change (BLM). Because helium is an inert substance, likewise, it constitutes a safety measure for monitoring leakage of chemicals intended for delicate handling. The fact that helium can do this much over some indispensable aspects of living must serve an adequate ground for every conscious citizen to acknowledge responsibility of conserving helium and saving it from wasteful dissipation. References Edwards, Chris. Where does helium come from? | Geographical | Find Articles. 2012. Where does helium come from? | Geographical | Find Articles. [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 21 March 2012]. Lansing State Journal. Where does helium come from?. 2012. 03/27/95 - Where does helium come from?. [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 21 March 2012]. Helium: History. 2012. Helium: History. [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 22 March 2012]. Deakin, Laura. Chemscripts: The coming helium shortage. 2012. Chemscripts: The coming helium shortage. [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 23 March 2012]. 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Helium: In short supply - Consumables Tech Cell - TheFabricator.com . [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 26 March 2012]. IBA. Alternatives to Helium . 2012. Alternatives to Helium . [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 27 March 2012]. Fischer, Lars. Put down that Helium! An Interview with Nobel Laureate Robert Richardson « . 2012. Put down that Helium! An Interview with Nobel Laureate Robert Richardson « . [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 01 April 2012]. Bureau of Land Management. Helium Facts. 2012. Helium Facts. [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 02 April 2012]. Read More