How is helium gas produced? This is always a question that many people wonder about. Because this gas is used in many different fields. It is a finite gas source, unable to regenerate or produce itself.
Therefore, being able to produce helium gas is not an easy task. Let’s learn more about how helium gas is made through the useful information below.
The two main ways to produce helium gas today are extraction from air and natural gas. Each way of producing helium gas has its own advantages in terms of efficiency and simplicity. Let’s explore the methods of producing helium gas with MIGCO.
History of helium gas
Initially, this inert gas was found in oil wells or in rocks underground. However, at that time, the method of producing helium gas was not well developed, and it was mainly used in airships.
In the following years, the United States became the world’s largest helium reserve and production center. But the cost of maintaining the center’s operations was too high. The revenue from producing and selling helium on the market was not enough to cover the investment.
Because the selling price of helium gas was very cheap at that time. Therefore, this center was closed. From then on, a global helium extraction industry opened up. Especially in countries with natural gas sources rich in helium began the production.
The estimated reserves for producing helium gas are 410 billion m3, and it is mainly concentrated in major countries such as the United States, Russia, and Qatar. After the US, Russia is the next largest producer of helium gas.
How is helium gas produced?
If in the past, helium gas production relied on extraction from the air, today the most effective way to produce this gas is from natural gas. Because the helium gas content in the air is very low.
Helium gas is inert, so it does not react with any substances, making it very difficult to produce using chemical reactions. Previously, people chose to process uranium-bearing rocks as a way to produce helium gas, in addition to collecting gas from mines since 1906.
When drilling wells in Dexter, Kansas, they found a high helium content of up to 1.84%, which led to the opening of the helium extraction industry from mines.
This gas is usually produced in large factories in many countries today. For example, the Orenburg Helium Plant in Russia. With the advantage that this area contains many oil and condensate gas fields. These places contain a lot of helium gas.
Both methods of producing helium gas only produce a very small amount of crude gas. The helium gas that you use today has gone through a refining and distillation process.
Helium with a quality reaching a purity of 5.0 (99.999%) or 6.0 (99.9999%) depending on the needs of use.
Previously, the method of producing helium gas was by extraction from the air, but today the method of producing this gas from natural sources is the safest and most effective. Because the helium gas content in the air is very low, while it is higher in natural gas, reaching up to 0.55%.
The process of producing helium gas must go through 2 stages as follows:
Stage 1:
- Natural gas is condensed at low temperatures so that the gases change to a liquid form.
- Helium gas is then collected in a concentrated gaseous state.
- The content of this gas is assessed to be very high, not less than 80%.
Stage 2:
- The refining process is carried out to remove the impurities mixed inside the collected helium gas mixture to obtain pure helium gas.
- Some substances that may be mixed in include methane, hydrogen, and nitrogen. After this process, the crude helium gas is filtered to obtain helium with a purity of over 90%.
This method is carried out according to the principle that each gas has a different liquefaction temperature. Each temperature range will have a substance liquefied and separated in order, with the gas having the highest liquefaction temperature being separated first.
Specifically, oxygen liquefies at -183°C, Argon liquefies at -186°C, nitrogen liquefies at -196°C, and helium liquefies at -269°C (approximately 4.2K or -52.2°F).
However, the cost of this method of producing helium gas is quite high, while the amount of helium gas in the air is low, so this method is usually only used to produce nitrogen gas and oxygen gas.
What is helium gas production for?
This inert gas source is used in many fields such as aviation, engineering, the nuclear industry, and electronics.
In addition, pure helium gas is also used to support respiration for deep-sea divers or in medicine to treat asthma.
And most commonly, you encounter this gas in everyday life when it is used to inflate balloons or airships. The process of producing helium creates an inert gas source that is safe to use.
It does not contain any toxic substances, which affect human health. Besides, it does not cause fire or explosion like hydrogen gas. Therefore, it is safer to use in many different fields.
The method of producing helium gas from natural sources is also applied in the metallurgical industry. Because it is a gas that helps create a good protective environment when welding metals.
Therefore, this industry cannot be without helium gas in the production process. In addition, this gas is also widely used in the nuclear field. It acts as a coolant in nuclear reactors. Therefore, the role of this gas is very important.
However, the method of producing helium gas to create this inert gas source is becoming increasingly scarce. Therefore, the helium production process needs to be increased significantly to meet the demand for this gas.
Is helium flammable?
Helium gas is an inert gas that is not flammable or explosive and does not react with other chemical elements. Helium gas only changes, specifically liquefies, under standard pressure and absolute zero temperature.
If helium gas is not flammable, then why do balloons often explode with a large flame? In fact, these balloons that have the potential to cause fires are not inflated with helium gas.
- To increase profits, balloon sellers often use hydrogen gas instead of helium gas because of the price difference between these two gases.
- Besides, when a balloon containing hydrogen gas bursts or leaks in an environment near a high heat source, the hydrogen gas in these balloons will be stimulated to react with oxygen in the air.
- Therefore, it can be said that these burning, exploding balloons are completely unrelated to helium gas.
At this point, I believe you have found the answer to the question of whether helium gas is flammable. And the answer is NO!
>> Learn more: Where to buy cheap and safe balloon inflation cylinders in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi?
Thus, through this article, you have learned how helium gas is produced and where helium gas comes from. If you have any further questions related to this light inert gas, please contact Migco immediately 093.77.55.800
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