Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Chemistry => Topic started by: Rasull on 02/07/2019 09:48:53

Title: What are the industrial uses of helium?
Post by: Rasull on 02/07/2019 09:48:53

Hi guys, According to your knowledge and experience share some of the uses of helium gas in industries. Thanks in advance hope I will get some interesting answers.

Title: Re: What are the industrial uses of helium?
Post by: evan_au on 02/07/2019 11:59:06

- Balloons (party & industrial)
- Cryogenic refrigeration - really benefits from Helium-3, which is much rarer than the common Helium-4
- In air tanks for deep-diving (Nitrogen dissolves in your blood, and fizzes when you come up = bad news!)
- Pressurizing tanks on spacecraft
- Big Bangs (about 10% of the bang)
- Radioactive decay (alpha particles)

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium#Applications

Title: Re: What are the industrial uses of helium?
Post by: alancalverd on 02/07/2019 12:44:50

Leak detection in vacuum systems

More on cryogenics: we use liquid helium for low temperature superconducting magnets (4K) and circulating helium gas for high-temperature superconductors (70K) in MRI systems.

Hot helium airships are fun. You use waste heat from the engines to heat the gas until the ship floats, but it hugs the ground when it is cold, so making docking and maintenance a lot easier. Not sure if there are any flying nowadays but they appear from time to time as research projects. 

Title: Re: What are the industrial uses of helium?
Post by: chris on 02/07/2019 15:14:06

Quote from: alancalverd on 02/07/2019 12:44:50

Leak detection in vacuum systems

More on cryogenics: we use liquid helium for low temperature superconducting magnets (4K) and circulating helium gas for high-temperature superconductors (70K) in MRI systems.

Hot helium airships are fun. You use waste heat from the engines to heat the gas until the ship floats, but it hugs the ground when it is cold, so making docking and maintenance a lot easier. Not sure if there are any flying nowadays but they appear from time to time as research projects. 

How is the heat transferred into the helium?

And what about when they want to descend again?

Title: Re: What are the industrial uses of helium?forgotten hero
Post by: alancalverd on 02/07/2019 16:23:38

You can wrap pipes around the engine exhausts and pump the helium through them to warm it. As the gas temperature will always be above ambient, there is no problem cooling it. Airship journeys are never short - the whole business of takeoff and landing makes them uncompetitive with helicopters and aeroplanes - but if you intend to travel over 1000 miles at 100 mph and 10,000 ft, you have plenty of time to plan your descent, and plenty of cold air to cool the gas. 

The forgotten hero of air cargo operations is the loadmaster!

Title: Re: What are the industrial uses of helium?
Post by: syhprum on 03/07/2019 15:55:27

Are their any high-temperature superconductor MRI machines in use and do they still use Helium for cooling presumably with much less loss Helium than 4K machines

Title: Re: What are the industrial uses of helium?
Post by: alancalverd on 03/07/2019 18:39:43

Yes, indeed. I've just sold two clinics using HTS "upright" MRI systems with recirculating helium chillers.