World Helium Supply Could Be Gone in 30 Years

(CBS)  We'd hate to burst anybody's balloon, but the world is quickly running out of helium.

The dwindling supply of the inert gas has been a growing concern since the mid 2000s. Now a group of scientists tells the Independent that the world's supply could be gone completely in less than 30 years.

The problem is twofold. First, helium is a non-renewable resource, mainly collected from the very slow decay of radioactive elements - and we're using it much faster than it's being created.

Second, Congress passed a law in 1996 mandating that the U.S. helium reserve - by far the largest in the world - be sold off by 2015, irrespective of market price. The supply appeared plentiful then. Now, not so much.

The impact goes far beyond not being able to inflate birthday balloons. Liquid helium is used in cooling medical equipment and the gas has numerous industrial applications. It's used in manufacturing LCD TV screens. Oh, and it helps power space shuttle and other rockets.

What's more, a far rarer isotope of the gas, Helium-3, plays a pivotal role in the research of nuclear fusion, one of the world's great (if far-off) clean energy hopes. Wired had an eye on that problem a decade ago.

But even plain Jane helium is "being squandered," Cornell University physics professor Robert Richardson told the Independent.

"Richardson believes the price for helium should rise by between 20- and 50-fold to make recycling more worthwhile," the paper reported. He said a typical party balloon should cost as much as $100, to reflect the true value of the gas.

"Once helium is released into the atmosphere in the form of party balloons or boiling helium it is lost to the Earth forever," he said.

[skyship007]

Hi folks,
I forgot to say that apart from ?gnoring vast helium reserves in Russia and Algeria, there are recently discovered helium reserves in Australia. SEE:
http://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/companies/news/6530/central-petroleum-bullish-on-helium-potential-on-tenement-areas--6530.html
There should indeed be a greater effort to recycle helium and preserve it for essential uses and the US should not sell off all of its helium reserve, but for some paid expert to run round the press saying helium is running out and should be 50 times the price etc is total nonsense. The Chinese owners of Central Petroleum will be happy though if the US does stop selling off its reserve.
Regards JB (LTA comedy www.airship.me)

[skyship007]

GLOBAL HELIUM RESERVES
There have been a number of press articles saying the world is running out of helium recently. These articles all seem to be based on one so called expert, who is probably paid by those companies which wish to use hydrogen for leaky high altitude airships or who think they will loose funding as a result of the LEMV or HAA programs, where the US military are using funds that might have gone to surveillance aircraft or satellites. The original article's writer could have found out in 5 minutes of research from the comfort of his own desk, that the idea of the world running out of helium is nonsense and bears no relation whatsoever to the facts.
The fact of the matter is revealed by the readily obtainable authoritative Mineral Commodity Summary for Helium for 2010, prepared by the US Geological Survey.

<http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/helium/mcs-2010-heliu.pdf>

"As of December 31, 2006, the total helium reserves and resources of the United States were estimated to be 20.6 billion cubic meters (744 billion cubic feet). This includes 4.25 billion cubic meters (153.2 billion cubic feet) of measured reserves, 5.33 billion cubic meters (192.2 billion cubic feet) of probable resources, 5.93 billion cubic meters (213.8 billion cubic feet) of possible resources, and 5.11 billion cubic meters (184.4 billion cubic feet) of speculative resources. Included in the measured reserves are 0.67 billion cubic meters (24.2 billion cubic feet) of helium stored in the Cliffside Field Government Reserve, and 0.065 billion cubic meters (2.3 billion cubic feet) of helium contained in Cliffside Field native gas. The Hugoton (Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas), Panhandle West, Panoma, Riley Ridge, and Cliffside Fields are the depleting fields from which most U.S.-produced helium is extracted. These fields contain an estimated 2.7 billion cubic meters (96 billion cubic feet) of helium."
That says that 0.735 of somewhere between 4.25 to 20.6 billion cubic meters of total US helium reserves is contained in what used to be the National Helium Reserve. Those figures are just the US Reserves, and do not count the rest of the world. Russia and Algeria alone have another 3.5 billion cubic meters of proven reserves which have barely been tapped.
For some reason the latest Commodity Survey omits a lot of reserve estimates which used to be tabulated for foreign lands. However, the old surveys are still on line, so you can still judge for yourself. For example, the 2002 survey:

<http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/helium/330302.pdf>,

"Helium resources of the world exclusive of the United States were estimated to be about 15 billion cubic meters." This is what it calls the reserve base, which simply means the figures have not yet been proven but are informed estimates.
By the way, 20.6 billion + 15 billion is 35.6 billion total cubic meters for the world. Just for the fun of calculating, that would fill 178,000 Hindenburgs, or somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.78 trillion party balloons.
The issue here is not necessarily that nothing is wrong with the way helium is being handled currently. It is simply the same issue which is present in every one of the "running out of X" scenarios. Namely, that whatever is settled should be based on informed opinion, not hasty and overly micro-focused conclusions based on inaccurate data.
Regards TRH (Airship & Blimp Consultant www.airshipblimp.com)

[skyship007]

GLOBAL HELIUM RESERVES
There have been a number of press articles saying the world is running out of helium recently. These articles all seem to be based on one so called expert, who is probably paid by those companies which wish to use hydrogen for leaky high altitude airships or who think they will loose funding as a result of the LEMV or HAA programs, where the US military are using funds that might have gone to surveillance aircraft or satellites. The original article's writer could have found out in 5 minutes of research from the comfort of his own desk, that the idea of the world running out of helium is nonsense and bears no relation whatsoever to the facts.
The fact of the matter is revealed by the readily obtainable authoritative Mineral Commodity Summary for Helium for 2010, prepared by the US Geological Survey.

<http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/helium/mcs-2010-heliu.pdf>

"As of December 31, 2006, the total helium reserves and resources of the United States were estimated to be 20.6 billion cubic meters (744 billion cubic feet). This includes 4.25 billion cubic meters (153.2 billion cubic feet) of measured reserves, 5.33 billion cubic meters (192.2 billion cubic feet) of probable resources, 5.93 billion cubic meters (213.8 billion cubic feet) of possible resources, and 5.11 billion cubic meters (184.4 billion cubic feet) of speculative resources. Included in the measured reserves are 0.67 billion cubic meters (24.2 billion cubic feet) of helium stored in the Cliffside Field Government Reserve, and 0.065 billion cubic meters (2.3 billion cubic feet) of helium contained in Cliffside Field native gas. The Hugoton (Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas), Panhandle West, Panoma, Riley Ridge, and Cliffside Fields are the depleting fields from which most U.S.-produced helium is extracted. These fields contain an estimated 2.7 billion cubic meters (96 billion cubic feet) of helium."
That says that 0.735 of somewhere between 4.25 to 20.6 billion cubic meters of total US helium reserves is contained in what used to be the National Helium Reserve. Those figures are just the US Reserves, and do not count the rest of the world. Russia and Algeria alone have another 3.5 billion cubic meters of proven reserves which have barely been tapped.
For some reason the latest Commodity Survey omits a lot of reserve estimates which used to be tabulated for foreign lands. However, the old surveys are still on line, so you can still judge for yourself. For example, the 2002 survey:

<http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/helium/330302.pdf>,

"Helium resources of the world exclusive of the United States were estimated to be about 15 billion cubic meters." This is what it calls the reserve base, which simply means the figures have not yet been proven but are informed estimates.
By the way, 20.6 billion + 15 billion is 35.6 billion total cubic meters for the world. Just for the fun of calculating, that would fill 178,000 Hindenburgs, or somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.78 trillion party balloons.
The issue here is not necessarily that nothing is wrong with the way helium is being handled currently. It is simply the same issue which is present in every one of the "running out of X" scenarios. Namely, that whatever is settled should be based on informed opinion, not hasty and overly micro-focused conclusions based on inaccurate data.
Regards TRH (Airship & Blimp Consultant)

[armyoftwelve]

There has to more, that's what "more" means?!.?!??

[hologram5]

I don't get it, Helium is a natural occuring gas in our atmosphere, just like oxygen. How is it that something that occurs naturally can just, "go away"?

[trickynicky69]

This must represent the reserves owned by the US government. I see there are companies in the US that have significant undeveloped reserves, the most notable would be Enhanced Oil Resources.. enhancedoilres.com. If my conversion math is correct it appears they have a billion cubic meters of undeveloped helium. It also appears the sell off of the government owned reserves has made the value of He worthless. Might be a very cheap investment opportunity when the market isn't saturated with the bargain basement sell off He.

[j40405]

Once again, a stupid idea by our greedy stupid, ignorant government. Does anyone do any LONG TERM PLANNING anymore.

[rightbehind]

Why does it have to be sold?? Just like our coast have been signed away to offshore corporate tax havens this resource has to be sold? No reason other than it has to be sold. Just as I had expected but I researched it to make sure. The republicans controlled the house and the senate in 1996. They were busy handing over the country to corporations. The centrist clinton as usual all to willing to comply. This needs to be corrected and quick!

[legacyABQ2]

Lets just think about this for a minute. Helium is an element. A Noble Gas. Totally INERT. Where is it going? The only place it can: right back into the atmosphere. So how do you get it back?

Pressurize air into liquid. Fractional Distillation = liquid nitrogen, liquid oxygen, liquid helium, hydrogen etc etc

Whats the problem? Helium is neither created nor destroyed worldwide. It just trades location.

[rightbehind]

Interesting comment but you might want to research a concept of diminishing returns before you run out to buy that bigger truck.

[cbsnewscommenter]

He is less dense than anything else in the atmosphere. The means that it will escape to outer space. All He that is released is eventually lost from the planet. In other words, the system really isn't closed. Once He is lost, it is eventually lost for good.

[redway633]

Since I will probably be gone in 20 years this is not something I am going to lay awake worrying about. Why don't you do a story on the three illegal aliens caught in their Northern Califoria lab with 150 million yes 150 million dollars of Methampetimines. That is something to worry about. How many live will 400 lbs of Meth destroy? All we get from the pro illegal immigrant media is stories about an illegal aliens brought here as a child going to graduate from Yale blah blah blah.

[legacyABQ2]

Only propagandists and lying cops believe that meth is worth that much money. Puh-leease.

So why is meth so profitable, even if it isnt as much as they claim?

Why because it's illegal of course.

[jimatmadison]

Better yet, redway, why don't you go to a story on immigration or drug use and post? I am so tired of people with a narrow political viewpoint acting like the rest of us want to hear from you. I like a good political discussion. NOT HERE.