More bad news for helium prices?

[Russoft]

Just going to chime in here on Helium since it's my day job. Our lab has Helium recycling. We've got the big rubber bag with the plumbing throughout our building to capture helium off all our MRI magnets. But it's nowhere near 100% efficient. The system can't handle the large influx of Helium gas caused by liquid Helium transfers and it can't filter dirty Helium gas on the back end of some of our vacuum pumps. We end up buying 50% of the Helium we use. We probably purchase 4800 liters of liquid Helium per year (or 3.6 million liters of gas). That said, new commercial magnets are getting more and more efficient to the point that they essentially have no Helium loss during routine use, but our research systems waste lots of the stuff. We pay $11/liter currently and it's still not expensive enough to justify upgrading our recycling system to be more efficient. There will always be a huge demand for Helium, and where there's a demand, someone will find a supply. Unfortunately, until then, it may make Trimix diving a rich man's game...

 

[dberry]

FWIW, research projects funded by federal grants can buy helium at a discounted price; it's possible the $11 / liter price is heavily subsidized.

 

[kelemvor]

Well, there is one alternative: helium recycling. Also known as rebreather diving in our circles. During the last helium shortage many medical and scientific users invested in helium recycling facilities, and if this trend continues, it will eventually justify rebreathers just from a cost perspective.

Every time I've talked to people about taking up RB, folks come out of the woodwork to tell me how dangerous it is. They always seem to back it up with recent RB fatalities.

That said, it does seem like a huge waste to use helium on OC.

 

[Russoft]

FWIW, research projects funded by federal grants can buy helium at a discounted price; it's possible the $11 / liter price is heavily subsidized.

This doesn't surprise me. It wouldn't be the first time a government subsidy created a perverse incentive. If the price really was significantly higher, it'd suddenly make a whole lot of sense to put some money into upgrading our equipment. Until then, I guess we'll just be venting Helium into the atmosphere.

 

[dmaziuk]

This doesn't surprise me. It wouldn't be the first time a government subsidy created a perverse incentive. If the price really was significantly higher, it'd suddenly make a whole lot of sense to put some money into upgrading our equipment. Until then, I guess we'll just be venting Helium into the atmosphere.

Government subsidies work great when there is helium to buy at $11. When there's shortage, you can't buy it for $11 and you don't have the government budget to buy it for $22. You're SOL. I'm sure it's all the federal government's fault.

Over here the university came up with the plan for a centralized facility that would somehow capture gas from all the magnets on campus, and the projected bill was 3 or 4 times higher than the big black balloons hack. Back in Clinton era that'd get funded at 250 cents on the dollar, but we don't live there anymore. Where I live now a setup that's 80% as good for 30% as much wins.

 

[ReefHound]

But more importantly, isn't HE a byproduct (or co-product would be more appropriate) of natural gas? Aren't we in the biggest natural gas boom ever? Why is there a shortage of HE? It makes no sense unless there just isn't enough HE capturing options associated with natural gas production. The whole thing is dumb and makes me think it's all made up like the rarity of diamonds.

-Chris

Here's one site that agrres with you. Seems the answer is companies just aren't bothering to extract the helium from the natural gas.
That Dire Helium Shortage? Vastly Inflated