Ukraine crisis and cost of helium

[formernuke]

I'm doing my tec classes later this year, including trimix. Hopefully this doesn't make the classes to expensive.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Unless you go CCR. That’s next year.

Based on the number of trimix dives I intend to do per year, the CCR still does not justify itself financially but you never know.

 

[Marie13]

Based on the number of trimix dives I intend to do per year, the CCR still does not justify itself financially but you never know.

I’m going CCR for other reasons besides just He. Better than SM for wreck diving. Warmer air, which is a thing when you dive cold water.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

does the cost of equipment for that actually offset the cost of buying gas? a friend of mine has a compressor.

Short answer is no.

The much longer answer is this is my hobby. I'm in it for the long haul. It's very convenient pumping my own nitrox on my time to the psi that I want. The O2 used in a set of doubles (filled with 32%) is like just shy of $3.50. Compared to going to a shop and dropping tanks off and paying $17/tank or $34 per set..

So the much longer answer is still no ...but it makes me happy! Having a friend with a compressor would be nice, lol.

If / when I get into any kind of trimix it would just be another bottle at the shop. I think it would be $1.50/cf the last time I looked into it DIY? Probably up since then I'm not sure.

 

[rhwestfall]

 

[Marie13]

The cost of helium is very regional and makes no freaking sense.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

The cost of helium is very regional and makes no freaking sense.

My last quote through Airgas (at least I think that's who it was) worked out to $1.50.. but I'm sure with the world insane right now it's up.

 

[Ulfhedinn]

Would love to go CCR but I also love being married to my wife. She already thinks my interest in caves.. on the other side of the states is madness.

Honestly she lets me chase my madness but I have other things that need to be completed first.

What happened to that large find of helium in Africa? {I think it was Africa} I thought that was going to ease the market.

 

[KevinNM]

https://cen.acs.org/business/specialty-chemicals/War-Ukraine-makes-helium-shortage-more-dire/100/i10?utm_source=LatestNews&utm_medium=LatestNews&utm_campaign=CENRSS

So how long would it be before helium prices take a hit due to this particular crisis? How much of an increase in price do you all foresee?

Neon, krypton and xenon are primarily produced by air separation plants (with significant additional processing, which most US plants apparently don’t do). If you are producing hundreds of tons of neon a day you could also produce helium at that plant. But I’m not at all sure air separation plants are a significant source of helium, most it it seems to come from methane wells.

 

[BRT]

Neon, krypton and xenon are primarily produced by air separation plants (with significant additional processing, which most US plants apparently don’t do). If you are producing hundreds of tons of neon a day you could also produce helium at that plant. But I’m not at all sure air separation plants are a significant source of helium, most it it seems to come from methane wells.

World production of neon is 540 metric tons per year. I don't think there is much helium in atmospheric air.