Huge helium discovery 'a life-saving find'

Back in the 90’s there was mild panic attack across the USA when the government decided to drop the National Helium Reserve.

The National Helium Reserve, also known as the Federal Helium Reserve, is a strategic reserve of the United States holding over 1 billion cubic meters (109 m3) of helium gas.
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By 1995, a billion cubic metres of the gas had been collected, and the reserve was US$1.4 billion in debt, prompting the Congress of the United States in 1996 to phase out the reserve The resulting "Helium Privatization Act of 1996" (Public Law 104–273) directed the United States Department of the Interior to start selling off the reserve by 2005.

By 2007, the federal government was reported as auctioning off the Amarillo Helium Plant. The National Helium Reserve itself was reported as "slowly being drawn down and sold to private industry." However by early 2011, the facility was still in government hands. In May 2013, the House of Representatives voted to extend the life of the reserve under government control.

Wikipedia – National Helium Reserve

The out cry was loud and from various sources. Medical institutions, University research, any place that used superconducting magnets, the Nuclear Energy Agency, even the party balloon industry collectively yelled out: STOP! But The Man just plugged along with plans but did not sell the reserve’s holdings.

Here is news out of Africa that is almost mind blowing in its scope!

Now, a research group from Oxford and Durham universities, working with Helium One, a helium exploration company headquartered in Norway, has developed a brand new exploration approach. The first use of this method has resulted in the discovery of a world-class helium gas field in Tanzania.
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Professor Chris Ballentine, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, said: "We sampled helium gas (and nitrogen) just bubbling out of the ground in the Tanzanian East African Rift valley. By combining our understanding of helium geochemistry with seismic images of gas trapping structures, independent experts have calculated a probable resource of 54 Billion Cubic Feet (BCf) in just one part of the rift valley… To put this discovery into perspective, global consumption of helium is about 8 BCf per year and the United States Federal Helium Reserve, which is the world's largest supplier, has a current reserve of just 24.2 BCf. Total known reserves in the USA are around 153 BCf. This is a game changer for the future security of society's helium needs and similar finds in the future may not be far away."

Source: Phys.org, June 27, 2016 – Huge helium discovery 'a life-saving find'

So what right? Why a conspiracy site? Because this is a step to moving away from oil and gas! See, currently helium is extracted out of oil and gas during refinement. The amount is about 4 % suspended in natural gas. If you start having to use less oil and gas because… oh, let’s say a nuclear fusion reactor (which also requires superfluid helium to cool down the superconducting magnets to contain the fusion plasma) comes on-line you still need to have a source of helium. And I am certain there is one use for helium that no one will see coming (or most wont).

‘Life saving find’? I would venture one further: humanity saving find!

Or has my fusion fanboy got the best of me again? Thoughts, comments, questions, and flame wars all welcome!

originally posted by: TEOTWAWKIAIFF
Or has my fusion fanboy got the best of me again? Thoughts, comments, questions, and flame wars all welcome!

Fusion, huh? Let me know when that gets up and running efficiently.

Oh, good. I can continue to fill my balloons and talk funny.

a reply to: Blue Shift

I don't know if by fusion this person was in reference to the welding industry, helium is an important welding gas when it comes to TIG welding alloys like aluminum and titanium among others. The process is called heli-arc welding =D I prefer this while tig welding Aluminum I like doing it with %2 lanthenated tungsten as well.

a reply to: Blue Shift

I'm on it! And trust me, ATS will never hear the end of me talking fusion!

The method of finding helium believed to be trapped in natural formations after being dissolved out of lava rocks is a great idea. This find does secure He from Middle East tensions. We are currently buying He from Saudi Arabia. So in a SHTF scenario in the ME there will need to be another secure source.

a reply to: Brotherman

Nuclear fusion. I have this idea certain things have to be in play: power storage being one; power distribution most likely being the other. Now with a source of helium... it just a pet theory of mine.

Thanks for the info on welding! It was mentioned in passing in the phys.org article but I had nothing meaningful to add so I just listed the uses I knew of. You can always count on ATS to have someone more knowledgeable to either ask a question or lightly whack the back of your head to make you pay attention.

Barney could have received a life saving transfusion.

LOL Barney was an inside job.

Good for helium, idk why but helium is so boring.

originally posted by: jellyrev
LOL Barney was an inside job.

Good for helium, idk why but helium is so boring.

Without helium, you can't make Cavorite.

It has been my understanding that we don't need the He reserves. Because, He is a by product form liquifying air for the production of liquid nitrogen and other rare gases.

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

What about the Helium 3 on the moon?? Is this a different kind of helium?? The Helium on the moon would be a great energy supply for space development, as well as an export to Earth if the situation gets dire. I think China may beat us there though and have a big head start.

originally posted by: AmericanRealist
a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

What about the Helium 3 on the moon?? Is this a different kind of helium?? The Helium on the moon would be a great energy supply for space development, as well as an export to Earth if the situation gets dire. I think China may beat us there though and have a big head start.

Sure. Once we figure out how collect it and refine it. Not to mention how to build a reactor which can use it.

a reply to: AmericanRealist

Heliums' non-radioactive isotope is helium4. He3 is easily converted through fusion to electricity (in theory--it looks right on paper) but Phage is right, how to refine it and how to fuse it are still issues. We have barely taken the first steps in fusion (like blue shift pointed out).

H4 is the stuff schuyler is huffing!

And Phage, love the Swedish version of the purple blue dino: Bjarney!

a reply to: Phage
a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

Well then, I will just have to steer one of my five children into nuclear physics and get this ball rolling
they are already a fan of Niel deGrasse Tyson from watching Cosmos and Star Talk with them. I will encourage this as a career field getting ready to explode with opportunity in the next two decades. My oldest is already heavily interested in engineering and design. Lets hope they do better than I, who never even set foot in a college.

In the meantime, I am thrilled to hear we won't have to worry about a helium shortage or price hikes. Many have no idea the industries which use this gas is more than just party balloons.

a reply to: AmericanRealist

*sigh*
Not for lack of trying on my part, my daughter seems to lack the bug but I'll keep working on it.

I don't really care for Neil though. I think Brian Cox is a better successor to Sagan.

Many have no idea the industries which use this gas is more than just party balloons.

Don't forget funny voices.

a reply to: Phage

Yea, we used to get in trouble at Kmart years back for playing with the helium tanks in the back. I think one manager only half jokingly said your stealing company merchandise to get high, or something of that nature. Thank goodness I was a star worker, I would hate to have been having that conversation with authorities over some silly workplace antics.

a reply to: AmericanRealist
Qwip would be a different matter (though somewhat pathetic). I wouldn't expect a Kmart supervisor to understand.

This will work wonders for my helium powered car.

a reply to: angryhulk

How does your car work on Helium?

a reply to: AmericanRealist

I started with math. It was something I could learn at my own pace. I could get immediate results. I could check my own work. You know the orange-yellow pee-chees? I had the 12x12 memorized in second grade! I taught myself up to algebra. I had a microscope and loved to check out all things floating around in water under the slide. It broke and I did not get a new one!

It started early for me. I do not think much for Neal DT. I also don't care for Elon Musk. But those are my choices. What ever it takes! STEM has great benefits too. Working collaboratively, setting goal, learning limits, and finding those successes! I like reading books over TV and Brian Cox is the better choice over NDT. But I also buck the trend--where most people go running away screaming at the sight of math I break out the pencil and paper and try to solve it! I force myself to remember those little tricks (like dealing with infinite series) to keep from getting to rusty. Last month, for the heck of it, went through the first three chapters of my discrete math text book--and found an error!

Thanks for the reply!