Helium shortage
Helium comes from natural gas wells. With natural gas prices at historic lows, it currently just isn't worth producing enough to keep prices low. Eventually ng prices will go back up, more wells will begin production again, and helium supplies should go back up.
Of course there's some governmental intervention involved here, but that should even itself out once the US helium reserve is depleted.
Of course there's some governmental intervention involved here, but that should even itself out once the US helium reserve is depleted.
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Blankbeard
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There's this:
http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/energy ... ogram.html
which indicates there has been a sell off going on. What's the chance of this being an overblown reaction to private versus public usage versus an actual shortage. Merely having a usage rate greater than production rate shouldn't be considered a shortage.
Anyone have an estimate of what prices would have to reach for production in a fusor/polywell to be economical? And is a polywell likely to be more efficient than a simple fusor?
And of course, let's remember: If helium is outlawed, only outlaws will speak like Minnie Mouse. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52UAEQfMTtU
We can only hope future generations will know the pleasure of using gases to alter their voices.
Edit: I did a bit of checking. I am very much a newbie in this area but this suggests it's not a practical venture with a home-built fusor. http://www.fusor.net/board/view.php?bn= ... 1183429529
gives a rate of one fusion per second. If that's correct, it would take over 33 thousand times the age of the universe to make a liter of helium in a standard fusor discounting tritium production.
I hope an advanced commercial polywell would be capable of this kind of production if properly configured.
http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/energy ... ogram.html
which indicates there has been a sell off going on. What's the chance of this being an overblown reaction to private versus public usage versus an actual shortage. Merely having a usage rate greater than production rate shouldn't be considered a shortage.
Anyone have an estimate of what prices would have to reach for production in a fusor/polywell to be economical? And is a polywell likely to be more efficient than a simple fusor?
And of course, let's remember: If helium is outlawed, only outlaws will speak like Minnie Mouse. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52UAEQfMTtU
We can only hope future generations will know the pleasure of using gases to alter their voices.
Edit: I did a bit of checking. I am very much a newbie in this area but this suggests it's not a practical venture with a home-built fusor. http://www.fusor.net/board/view.php?bn= ... 1183429529
gives a rate of one fusion per second. If that's correct, it would take over 33 thousand times the age of the universe to make a liter of helium in a standard fusor discounting tritium production.
I hope an advanced commercial polywell would be capable of this kind of production if properly configured.
As I understand it, not just any natural gas well produces helium. The US was blessed with a region in the midwest that had a distinctly higher abundance than other sources around the world. We finally stockpiled so much of it we stopped doing it a few decades back.
I'm not sure how much helium is found in fracking gas. Helium comes from radioactive decay to alpha particles, so a lot depends on what is below the gas deposits, and how well they're capped. Logic says fracking could be a good source ... very deep and very old ... but I've not seen any data on it.
There's been a lot of moaning from the research community about wasting helium on toy balloons. There has also been a recent resurgence of interest in large airships, which would be a major drain. For years there was almost no interest in these outside of advertising blimps.
I'm not sure how much helium is found in fracking gas. Helium comes from radioactive decay to alpha particles, so a lot depends on what is below the gas deposits, and how well they're capped. Logic says fracking could be a good source ... very deep and very old ... but I've not seen any data on it.
There's been a lot of moaning from the research community about wasting helium on toy balloons. There has also been a recent resurgence of interest in large airships, which would be a major drain. For years there was almost no interest in these outside of advertising blimps.
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Blankbeard
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- Joined: Wed Nov 21, 2012 9:56 pm
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v4 ... 5573a.htmlTom Ligon wrote: I'm not sure how much helium is found in fracking gas.
This article is behind a paywall but it suggests very little. Apparently, helium can penetrate the shale rather easily and escape.