With uptick of natural gas exploration and “recovery” happening, you have to wonder if anyone is bothering to look for helium in it? And I’m referring to the Marcellus shale formation in particular. Wouldn’t it be nice for some forethought here and try to recover some of the helium that may be lost. Helium is a non-renewable resource and is critical to many industrial sectors, including superconductor applications.
The US has held helium in reserve since 1925. Helium extraction has been most fruitful from gas wells in the western states. The Helium Privatization Act of 1996 has resulted in the release of the helium reserve to the private sector at a federally mandated price. The FY2011 price is$75.00 per thousand cubic feet.
According to the BLM, the agency that manages the strategic reserve, their enrichment facility in Amarillo, TX, can produce 6 million cu ft per day of crude helium at ca 80 % purity. The Amarillo plant provides crude He to refiners who polish it to the necessary level of purity for the end user.
Lamentations on Chemistry 
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April 20, 2011 at 8:46 am
wild west mi bill
Hi Gauss – Do you know anything about a law stipulating the sell off of the Federal Reserves by 2015? That would seem to essentially negate all incentive to be trapping that helium.
Certainly, I’m annoyed by this all – the suppliers have already limited the amount that is delivered several times, which makes NMR users and purchasers very uneasy.
On a similar topic – did you visit Picospin?
April 20, 2011 at 10:16 am
gaussling
The link to the Helium Privatization Act of 1996 above gives the law. The year 2015 is when all of this should be executed. Apparently there is very little surplus at any given time. Reportedly there are only 15 distillation plants that can polish the crude helium. Given the extensive exploration activity, I’m wondering if anyone is monitoring the He content of all of this new natural gas.
We’re supposed to get our unit any time now. My crabby, insolent coworkers think it is just a toy, but I think it can have significant utility. What PicoSpin reallly needs to do is to get a portfolio of applications together so all of these high field jocks can get the picture. What most people forget is that, while high field is obviously very useful, most instruments come with considerable excess capacity.
I think there are many articles for J. Chem. Ed. waiting to happen here. Wink wink, nod nod.
April 22, 2011 at 8:25 am
Uncle Al
We must intensively fund Green superconductors, including pro-active recycling fees with every purchase made today. It can be done for free!, plus Federal subsidies. We envision supercons made from soybeans… unless maize pimps buy in deeper.