Posted on 03/02/2023 7:29:54 AM PST by Red Badger
March 1 (UPI) -- The amount of helium in underground geological formations could satisfy thousands of years of global demand, researchers said in an article published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
Like other essential commodities, there are supply-side concerns for helium as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year. Sanctions and other restrictions mean supplies from Russia's Amur plant, expected to satisfy about 35% of global demand, are no longer available.
Researchers from Oxford University, Durham University and the University of Toronto estimate helium is a $6 billion market. The element is used in everything from fiber optics to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to nuclear technology, where its isotopes are used a fuel. Much of the helium present today is a result of radioactive decay of elements such as uranium.
Research suggests that helium also tends to accumulate in underground natural gas deposits. Oxford scientist had already found a "full suite" of gases, from helium to argon, in samples taken from 22 wells across North America in 2015. Researchers at the time said this meant that estimates of available geological sources of helium may be vastly underestimated.
That background radioactivity that generates helium, meanwhile, also can split water (H2O) into its elemental components of oxygen and hydrogen, another component of the energy transition.
"This new understanding of helium accumulation provides us with a critical start of a recipe to identify where significant amounts of geological hydrogen, as well as helium, might still be found," John Gluyas, a co-author of the report from Durham University, said.
Members of the European Parliament backed measures in early February that would support the adoption of renewable natural gas and hydrogen into the grid as part of a bloc-wide effort to rely less on fossil fuels.
https://www.desertmountainenergy.com/
Holbrook Basin Helium Project
"Arizona’s Holbrook Basin is considered by many to be “the World’s best address for Helium”, with historic grades ranging from 8% to 10%, and known as “the Saudi Arabia of Helium”. +100,000 acres of key Helium prospects under lease in Holbrook Basin in North Eastern Arizona, with prolific historic production. More leases pending."
Hydrogen Projects
"DME’s secondary focus is developing hydrogen assets located within their helium fields. The Company has signed a joint operating agreement with Beam Earth Ltd. to develop commercial applications for hydrogen."
more at link.
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Freebee throwin; Here is a startup US mining and extraction company in Nebraska; target minerals: Scandium, Niobium, Titanium, and REEs. (Fully permitted, has SPAC currently pending approval votes to begin site prep and shaft sinking.)
https://www.niocorp.com/
niocorp . . interesting penny stock. But no earnings at this time but . .. potential. Somethng to keep an eye on. Thanks.
Good. Pipe it into the White House and let joe breathe it in while he’s reading from the teleprompter. Then we’ll hear word salad as read by Alvin the Chipmunk.
Put both of them in the watchlist.
That’s about all I can afford for the present.
> when it runs out, it’s gone, into space.
We should follow it then, heheh. Cheap fuel pump design utilizes pressurized helium, beats turbo pumps in certain useful scale regimes: https://rocketfuelpump.com
Helium is a big deal because liquid helium is the magic ingredient in an MRI machine. Magnets bathed in such a cold liquid (-452°F) defy the laws of conventional (but not quantum) physics. That little heat energy leaves atoms in such a low energy state that their electrons are barely moving. Which allows solid matter can pass through solid matter.
Spooky.
And it only stays cold until it boils off. A typical MRI machines holds not quite 400 gallons of liquid helium (enough to fill about 50,000 party balloons), about half of which boils off every year. So the cooling is both passive and perishable.
And the proliferation of MRI units are the chief cause of the helium shortage.
Well, this is interesting. Desert Mountain trading has just been halted due to pending news. This generally means something good or bad is about to happen to the stock price.
It looks like a 20 million dollar cash raising offer. This sometimes lowers a price due to dilution value but it sometimes raises the value due to a change in level of execution.
Don’t watch too long! After about 10 years they are about to be financed and start building.
Funding via a SPAC . NIOCORP approval vote on 3-10-23, the SPAC, GXII will be on 3-15. If yes, there will be a merger with NICORP surviving the merge. They will uplist from OTC to NASQ and do a 1-10 reverse split. (In order to meet NASDQ min SP requirement. Funds will be used to build a processing/extraction facility and sink the mine shaft. Go to investors hub— search board NIOBF.
Well, Party City and other places that sell helium-filled balloons will be pleased! They have certainly been suffering from the lack of helium.
There’s been talk about the mining of He3 on the Moon in order to fuel the fusion reactors that don’t exist.
Yes but are they shaped and colored in non-offensive a non-manner so as to remind absolutely no-one of anything suggestive, humorous, unusual or interesting?...like, say, Joe Bidenpence?
Lots of goodies out there in the Solar System if we ever figure out a way to use them . Jupiter has about 30 Earth masses worth of Helium. Don’t even get me started on how much the Sun has!
Actually the Helium we find in Earth comes from the Alpha particles of radioactive decay. After the Alpha particles slow down they pick up some electrons and become Helium
From the article: "Much of the helium present today is a result of radioactive decay of elements such as uranium."
Maybe we could bury our nuclear waste and harvest the helium. Two birds?
;-)
Well, that’s ONE way.............................
“Fully permitted” — at least until Brandon’s handlers whisper to him “Cancel it.”
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