One of the applications of helium is vacuum leak testing which is the most accurate and efficient of all tracer gas leak detection systems and is used to test parts with extremely small leak rates.
Regular demand for helium leak detection equipment has been experienced as different industries introduce new products that have stricter testing specifications or are replacing older leak detectors that have reached the end of their useful life. With the shift to electric vehicles, the demand for leak testing for new components is increasing dramatically.
"The price of helium has increased more than tenfold in the last two decades," adds Kornbluth. “The price of helium at the source increased an average of 11 percent annually between 2006 and 2022.
"Most of this shortage is due to supply failures rather than demand growth," Kornbluth says. “The latest price increase is because major helium suppliers have been rationing supply due to the war in Ukraine.
"A recent Gazprom project in Siberia, which was to convert shortages into oversupply, was delayed due to the war, causing a lot of uncertainty in the market," explains Kornbluth. “Another major helium project underway in Qatar, due to come online in a few years, should address the shortage. This will undoubtedly lead to an oversupply of helium.”
Ironically, the United States is home to the largest helium deposits in the world. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management operates a federal reserve near Amarillo, Texas, and a pipeline system that supplies raw helium as feed gas to four privately owned plants in Kansas and Oklahoma.
The recent helium situation has forced some of our customers to look for and evaluate alternatives," said Jacques Hoffmann, president of InterTech Development Co.
The reason they sold the reserve is because they have a plan in place to reduce the world population to 500,000 people. They aren't planning on needing that much.
We have lots of helium. What changed was how we mine natural gas. Before the advent of fracking, helium was a waste byproduct. Welders used it for years on thick aluminum projects by mixing it with argon. A 10% mixture alone decreases the amount of amperage needed and has a beautiful side effect of producing a clean and shiny zone along the edges of the weld, whereas straight argon leaves a dull zone.
One of the applications of helium is vacuum leak testing which is the most accurate and efficient of all tracer gas leak detection systems and is used to test parts with extremely small leak rates.
Regular demand for helium leak detection equipment has been experienced as different industries introduce new products that have stricter testing specifications or are replacing older leak detectors that have reached the end of their useful life. With the shift to electric vehicles, the demand for leak testing for new components is increasing dramatically.
"The price of helium has increased more than tenfold in the last two decades," adds Kornbluth. “The price of helium at the source increased an average of 11 percent annually between 2006 and 2022.
"Most of this shortage is due to supply failures rather than demand growth," Kornbluth says. “The latest price increase is because major helium suppliers have been rationing supply due to the war in Ukraine.
"A recent Gazprom project in Siberia, which was to convert shortages into oversupply, was delayed due to the war, causing a lot of uncertainty in the market," explains Kornbluth. “Another major helium project underway in Qatar, due to come online in a few years, should address the shortage. This will undoubtedly lead to an oversupply of helium.”
Ironically, the United States is home to the largest helium deposits in the world. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management operates a federal reserve near Amarillo, Texas, and a pipeline system that supplies raw helium as feed gas to four privately owned plants in Kansas and Oklahoma.
The recent helium situation has forced some of our customers to look for and evaluate alternatives," said Jacques Hoffmann, president of InterTech Development Co.
https://www.assemblymag.com/articles/97839-dealing-with-the-helium-shortage
The reason they sold the reserve is because they have a plan in place to reduce the world population to 500,000 people. They aren't planning on needing that much.
We have lots of helium. What changed was how we mine natural gas. Before the advent of fracking, helium was a waste byproduct. Welders used it for years on thick aluminum projects by mixing it with argon. A 10% mixture alone decreases the amount of amperage needed and has a beautiful side effect of producing a clean and shiny zone along the edges of the weld, whereas straight argon leaves a dull zone.