What makes helium so unique?

Of all the elements, helium is the most stable; it will not burn or react with other elements. Helium has the lowest melting and boiling points. It exists as a gas, except under extreme conditions. At temperatures near absolute zero, helium is a fluid; most materials are solid when cooled to such low temperatures.

Where does helium come from?

Helium is a non-renewable natural resource that is most commonly recovered from natural gas deposits. Geologic conditions in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas make the natural gas in these areas some of the most helium-rich in the world (with concentrations between 0.3 percent and 2.7 percent).


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What is helium used for, and why is it a strategic natural resource?

Perhaps the most familiar use of helium is as a safe, non-flammable gas to fill party and parade balloons. However, helium is a critical component in many fields, including scientific research, medical technology, high-tech manufacturing, space exploration, and national defense. Here are a few examples:

For many of these applications, there is no substitute for helium. Helium is a non-renewable resource found in recoverable quantities in only a few locations around the world, many of which are being depleted. Accordingly, the U.S. has important economic and national security interests in ensuring a reliable supply of helium.

How is the Federal Helium Program Funded?

The Federal Helium Program operates using non-appropriated funds (i.e. money generated from the sale and storage of helium and other related non-tax revenues). With crude helium auctions and sales stopping October 1, 2018, program revenues for FY 2019 declined to $63 million dollars. After funding operations, the program continues to return about $30 million dollars to the U.S. Treasury.

Helium, the second most abundant element in the universe, was discovered on the sun before it was found on the earth. Pierre-Jules-Csar Janssen, a French astronomer, noticed a yellow line in the sun's spectrum while studying a total solar eclipse in 1868. Sir Norman Lockyer, an English astronomer, realized that this line, with a wavelength of 587.49 nanometers, could not be produced by any element known at the time. It was hypothesized that a new element on the sun was responsible for this mysterious yellow emission. This unknown element was named helium by Lockyer.

The hunt to find helium on earth ended in 1895. Sir William Ramsay, a Scottish chemist, conducted an experiment with a mineral containing uranium called clevite. He exposed the clevite to mineral acids and collected the gases that were produced. He then sent a sample of these gases to two scientists, Lockyer and Sir William Crookes, who were able to identify the helium within it. Two Swedish chemists, Nils Langlet and Per Theodor Cleve, independently found helium in clevite at about the same time as Ramsay.

Helium makes up about 0.0005% of the earth's atmosphere. This trace amount of helium is not gravitationally bound to the earth and is constantly lost to space. The earth's atmospheric helium is replaced by the decay of radioactive elements in the earth's crust. Alpha decay, one type of radioactive decay, produces particles called alpha particles. An alpha particle can become a helium atom once it captures two electrons from its surroundings. This newly formed helium can eventually work its way to the atmosphere through cracks in the crust.

Helium is commercially recovered from natural gas deposits, mostly from Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. Helium gas is used to inflate blimps, scientific balloons and party balloons. It is used as an inert shield for arc welding, to pressurize the fuel tanks of liquid fueled rockets and in supersonic windtunnels. Helium is combined with oxygen to create a nitrogen free atmosphere for deep sea divers so that they will not suffer from a condition known as nitrogen narcosis. Liquid helium is an important cryogenic material and is used to study superconductivity and to create superconductive magnets. The Department of Energy's Jefferson Lab uses large amounts of liquid helium to operate its superconductive electron accelerator.

Uncertainty about how private markets will distribute and price helium is a concern, especially to scientific researchers using small amounts of helium. A recent discovery of helium beneath Tanzania may provide a short-term boost in future helium supply if development challenges can be overcome.

Liquid helium boils off and can be captured and recycled by re-liquefying it. In the U.S., only a small amount of recycling infrastructure is in place. Once helium is released in the atmosphere, it will continue rising until it escapes into space, making it the only truly unrecoverable element.

Helium in recoverable quantities is found in only a few locations around the world, and these sources are being rapidly depleted. Accordingly, the U.S. has important economic and national security interests in ensuring a reliable supply of helium.

This Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) is written in response to concerns about a national and global helium shortage that is increasingly impacting the NSF-funded research community. Liquid helium is required for the ongoing operation and maintenance of a range of sophisticated research instruments, especially advanced nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy systems, Fourier-transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance (FT-ICR) Mass Spectrometry, and other instruments with cooled magnets. Unfortunately, the national and global supply of helium is severely disrupted, and researchers are increasingly challenged to find adequate helium supplies. The supply issues are driven by shifts in global production systems, national reserve policy and ongoing geopolitical events. So, the current supply issues may extend for the foreseeable future and are a threat to funded projects across the NSF portfolio, especially research supported by the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) and the Division of Chemistry in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS/CHE). Given that helium is essential, expensive and non-renewable, proper stewardship of this limited resource is critical. One key step to ensure responsible resource utilization is to minimize waste. Commercially available helium recovery systems can be installed to efficiently recycle and re-use helium, but such systems are expensive.

NSF BIO and MPS/CHE recognizes the significant community concerns related to the helium shortage and seeks to remind potentially impacted research facility managers that the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) has provisions to support the acquisition of specialized equipment through submission of equipment proposals (see PAPPG Chapter II.E.10). These equipment proposals are externally reviewed, usually in competition with regular research or education projects. With this DCL, BIO and MPS/CHE are inviting the submission of equipment proposals to support the acquisition of helium recovery systems in shared research instrument facilities. In BIO, proposals can be submitted at any time to the Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI). In MPS/CHE proposals should be submitted during the October submission window for the Chemical Measurement and Imaging (CMI) Program. Interested proposers should consider the following guidance carefully:

TEXAS - Today, the General Services Administration (GSA) announced the upcoming sale of the Federal Helium System assets, currently managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), as directed by Congress under the Helium Stewardship Act of 2013. In accordance with that law, BLM is required to sunset its management of the system and report any excess helium and helium assets to GSA to follow the statutory disposal process.

The Federal Helium System is also comprised of plant equipment, including a booster compressor, natural gas chiller skid, metering equipment, spare parts, emergency generators, storage tanks, and other machinery critical to the helium enrichment process. Some of the plant equipment is privately owned, with the BLM maintaining operational and minor maintenance responsibilities through a lease agreement.

In addition to the facilities, the sale encompasses Mineral Rights acquired by the Federal Government from 1930 to 1942. These subsurface ownership interests cover approximately 38,000 acres of gas and approximately 60 acres of oil resources, providing an opportunity for future exploration and development.

 

The Helium Storage Reservoir, known as the Bush Dome, is a natural geologic formation located approximately 3,000 feet below the surface. The reservoir has historically held up to 44 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of helium, which includes both federally owned stored helium and native helium commingled with natural gas. At the time of disposal, it is estimated that the storage reservoir will contain approximately 4 plus Bcf of proven and prospective federally owned helium (native and reserve), approximately 2 Bcf of privately owned helium, along with approximately 60 Bcf of federally owned natural gas (according to BLM Helium Operations Statistical Report Issued June 2022).

 

The Federal Helium System further encompasses a network of 23 natural gas wells some of which serve as high-pressure injection wells. These wells have been instrumental in supplying natural gas to the system, and they offer potential opportunities for ongoing production and utilization.

 

Crucial to the system's operation is the Federal Helium Pipeline, which spans approximately 423.24 miles, connecting the Cliffside Field to privately owned helium refineries across Northern Texas, the Oklahoma panhandle, and Southern Kansas. The pipeline facilitates the production, transmission, storage, and delivery of crude helium to refineries. The Federal Helium Pipeline works in conjunction with privately owned refineries and BLM and typically delivers more than 2 million cubic feet (MMcf) of crude helium per day to the refiners. It has been a reliable conduit, delivering millions of cubic feet of crude helium daily.

 

Detailed information about the sale, including bidding procedures and asset specifications, can be found on the GSA website. Interested parties are invited to review the comprehensive offering and submit their bids within the specified timeline.

 

For inquiries regarding the upcoming sale, contact William.rollings@gsa.gov. For inquiries regarding BLM, contact Mjanderson@blm.gov. For other questions, contact, R7media.inquires@gsa.gov. ff782bc1db

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