How can helium be used

Since helium is inert, it will not react and combust with any remaining traces of oxygen that might still be left behind in the tank. It also will not freeze in the pipes like any other liquid would if used to clean the tanks. In a three-stage process that takes weeks to complete, nearly tons of helium are cooled to No helium, no God particle! The energy industry is exploring different uses for helium as well.

The addition of helium in a high pressure environment makes it easier for the diver to breathe in the air. Some of the most critical uses for helium are in the medical industry. Helium is combined with oxygen for the treatment of asthma, emphysema, and other respiratory problems because the combination gets to the lungs much quicker than oxygen treatment alone.

Without helium, hospitals cannot produce MRI scans. The high-powered magnet has to be cooled down in order to operate, and with a low boiling point of Believe it or not, one of the uses for helium is to help your computer remember your files.

The first helium-filled hard drives came out in and were proven to be lighter, faster, and cooler than regular air-filled hard drives. In fact, helium performs so much better, that Hitachi Global has stated that it will not even make traditional, air-filled hard drives anymore.

Although most have since been replaced by diode lasers, low power helium-neon gas lasers were the original red beams used to scan bar codes at the checkout in stores and supermarkets.

The original laser pointers also used helium-neon lasers. Among the more critical uses for helium is leak detection. Since it diffuses through solids three times faster than air, the notoriously hard to contain helium gas is used to detect leaks in the hulls of ships, air-conditioning systems in cars, and high-pressure equipment like vacuums and cryogenic systems.

Helium is used in arc welding as a shielding gas because it is non-reactive and allows for a consistent weld at a higher heat transfer, which translates to a higher work speed. Many times, helium is blended with argon gas and the mixture can be adjusted based on the heat, shape of the weld, and speed required by the job. Pure helium is mostly used for seam welding. One of the newer scientific uses for helium is in microscopes. New helium-icon microscopes are being used instead of traditional scanning electron microscopes because of their ability to produce images with much better resolution.

This allows that airbag to inflate nearly instantaneously upon impact. Unfortunately, people have figured out that one of the uses for helium is as an effective means of committing suicide.

Helium is lighter than air, so inhaling it displaces the oxygen in the lungs. If enough helium is inhaled, the oxygen needed to breathe is pushed out and the individual faces an embolism, rapid suffocation, or even exploding lungs. This is why, despite the funny voices, a person should never inhale helium from a tank or a balloon.

And the same goes for helium burping , too. Sources: MIT. The collider magnets must be cooled at a temperature close to absolute zero degrees using liquid nitrogen. This creates a strong magnetic field with superconductivity no electrical resistance in order to bend high-energy particles around its perimeter. The particles that need to be constantly moving, move at a rate which is very close to light speed. When the collider is circulating, it creates a high electric current that powers the magnets, which then bends the particles.

The LHC has a cryogenic system built in to surround the magnets in order to reduce the temperature. Because the LHC is so large, it takes about a month to cool just one sector of the collider. It would take several months to cool the LHC to the baseline temperature. When it comes to using helium in space technology, it is utilized in a various amount of ways:. Again, this would require helium at a temperature around 4 Kelvin degrees in its cryogenic state to cool the heated components.

A cryostat is used to store the liquid helium and can stay at a very low temperature for several years in space due to the multi-layer insulation in the cryostat. Cleaning out rocket engines Astronauts use helium in space rockets to expel any residual gases with a mix of hydrogen and oxygen in the fuel vessel. Helium is then used to create pressure to launch the rocket into space by pumping the gas into the fuel tank.

Because helium is inert, it is used to control hydrogen flammability during takeoff so that our astronauts make it into orbit safely. Infrared Sensor Detection Infrared detectors help sense objects moving toward satellites and other nearby satellites. The magnetometers on the satellite help calculate the altitude of its position and the magnetic fields of Earth and other planets as well as any radiation around Earth. The Infrared Astronomical Satellite, which was launched in to collect infrared data in space, used superfluid helium 4 superfluid comes from helium 4, which is an isotope of helium to keep the satellite cool.

The helium superfluid is amazing due to its odd properties. It has no viscosity and can flow through tiny pores that regular fluids cannot flow through.

The magnetometers are filled with ionized gas, which is used to calibrate the instrument for more accurate readings. Helium also aids in detecting low flying cruise missiles because sound travels quicker 5 times quicker in helium than it does in air. Air Source Industries provides high-quality helium gas in liquid and gas forms for your manufacturing, testing, and aeronautical needs.

Our expert gas professionals are here to help you meet your business goals and offer extensive knowledge on proper safety and handling. Toggle navigation. Carbon Dioxide.