Helium shortage deflates balloon business

Charltotte Observer ^ | 6/20/12 | Claire McNeill

[staytrue]

Helium is also non reactive. Hydrogen escapes easier than helium but much of it is bound in other molecules.

Helium most likely is the result of alpha particle emmissions from radioactive decay and accumulates as a gas in natural gas reservoirs. That statement is without support and just my guessing.

[KarlInOhio]

In natural gas drilling, helium is considered an unburnable impurity. If I had a well that produced a few percent helium and another that produced pure methane, the pure methane well would be better unless it was worth my trouble to chill the mixed gas and distill out the helium. With a lot of new natual gas wells being drilled, a lower percentage of the gas is coming from the helum rich wells in Texas.

[TurboZamboni]

“Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe.”
-Frank Zappa

[G Larry]

Helium....a government controlled commodity...

Imagine the government creating a shortage of a commodity....

[Izzy Dunne]

The shortage [...] is a simple case of demand outweighing supply, said Joe Peterson, assistant field manager of helium resources at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Boy, nothing gets by these guys, I tellya, NOTHING !

And ... why is there such a position as "assistant field manager of helium resources", anyway?

[onedoug]

Also used to cool superconducting magnets in MRI machines.

[Parley Baer]

“It’s too valuable to be wasted in balloons”

I agree. As stated it is a non-renewable resource. It has effected the welding industry as well.

[Moonman62]

In natural gas drilling, helium is considered an unburnable impurity. If I had a well that produced a few percent helium and another that produced pure methane, the pure methane well would be better unless it was worth my trouble to chill the mixed gas and distill out the helium. With a lot of new natual gas wells being drilled, a lower percentage of the gas is coming from the helum rich wells in Texas.

That answers my question. I wondered why would there be a shortage of helium with all the natural gas production going on.

[Myrddin]

My amusement consisted of soaking cotton string in a potassium nitrate solution, then letting it dry to make a slow, smoldering fuse. Muriatic acid (used for pool service) and aluminum foil liberates plenty of hydrogen to fill a few balloons. I would tie the slow smoldering cotton string fuse to the actual fuse of an M80, then turn the package loose with 3 big hydrogen balloons. It achieved pretty good altitude before the slow fuse lit the M80 fuse.

[hattend]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0PqmkKeNmc

Acetylene makes a bigger boom

[Trod Upon]

Put them in charge of the Mojave Desert and in a few years we’ll have to import sand.

[G Larry]

“Put them in charge of the Mojave Desert and in a few years we’ll have to import sand.”

Too late!

They already killed a 500MW solar power plant there....cuz it might upset the tortise..

Actually, 500MW seemed too much like progress to the team focused on population control and killing industry.

[Myrddin]

Those tubes of "carbide" for carbide cannons make a boom when a small amount is wrapped in TP, dropped in the toilet and ignited.

[William Tell]

Ingtar said: "Just like many other resources, China is willing to pay more. This creates shortages."

Or to look a little further out: "Just like many resources, China is willing to pay more. This creates the economic incentive for producers to create more."

[Ingtar]

You are correct, in a free market. The Federal Government controls how much is allowed in this case.