U.S. is running out of helium

Mr DeCastellac · 2012-05-27, 04:43 PM

I know this isn't a major concern for a lot of you out there (since many of you live in different countries), but the U.S. is running out of helium. Scientists are saying that by 2020, our helium deposits will run out. That's 8 years from now, but it will be getting more and more expensive as the depletion comes closer.

It may not concern a lot of Americans that we will no longer be able to make our voices squeaky or levitate brightly-colored spheres at our parties, but I'm sure many of you realize that those aren't the only things helium is used for.

Helium is one of the cheapest (if not THE cheapest) inert gasses out there that won't react with other chemicals. This makes it incredibly useful for many scientific experiments. Not only that, helium is used in a ton of tech equipment, for example, to quote the article linked below, "Helium is used in arc welding and in leak detection, and its liquid form is essential in cooling nuclear reactors, the magnetics inside MRIs, and other vital high-tech resources."

In another article, an enraged researcher named Oleg Kirichek says:
"It costs £30,000 ($47,000) a day to operate our neutron beams, but for three days we had no helium to run our experiments on those beams. In other words we wasted £90,000 ($141,000) because we couldn't get any helium. Yet we put the stuff into party balloons and let them float off into the upper atmosphere, or we use it to make our voices go squeaky for a laugh. It is very, very stupid. It makes me really angry."

He goes on to explain another reason why we need the gas. "It is important to science because, even at incredibly low temperatures, it does not solidify and so can be used, in liquid form, to run super-cool refrigerators, a vital resource for scientists working in many fields."

He's right to be angry about the fact that we are squandering this valuable resource. Kirichek proposes that we raise the average price of party balloons to about $100 a pop (pun intended).
While this would certainly fix the problem, it's still quite ridiculous, as people usually buy 5-10+ balloons for a party, and I don't think anyone would be willing to pay $500 for some balloons.

The best solution would be to start mining in space, and the first place to start would be the moon. As the article below explains, the moon collects a large amount of helium in its soil, and we could extract it, assuming we can get the equipment up there and sustain it. Of course, it all comes down to whether or not there is a profit to be made, and we'll have to see how helium prices change in the coming years. If it turns out you can make a profit from flying up and sustaining drills on the moon, then... well... that's a solution.

Article mentioned twice above: http://io9.com/5766927/now-is-the-ti...oon?tag=helium

I guess this is mostly an informational thread, as I found all this incredibly interesting. However, I'd love to hear some discussion on this topic. Here are some starter ideas:

How much will helium start costing, considering we will have to import it from other countries?
Do you think it will be possible to start lunar mining within the next eight years, or will we have some sort of "Dark Age of Helium", where the price rockets and scientific experiments suffer?
What do you think about the idea of raising the prices of balloons and other helium-run things?
Is there a profit to be made from lunar mining?
(Silly question incoming!) Will the movie "Moon" become a reality? Sending surrogate humans into space to mine for us is an interesting concept, until they become self aware.

Anyways, you're free to discuss this growing problem if you'd like, I'm very interested to hear what you all think about this.

p0intman · 2012-05-27, 04:51 PM

So in a while I wont be able to inhale it and make absurd voices?

dachlatte · 2012-05-27, 06:54 PM

Originally Posted by p0intman

So in a while I wont be able to inhale it and make absurd voices?

You read the post(i suppose you read the whole post) and this is all that stuck with you?

Atlas · 2012-05-27, 07:33 PM

I don't have a source other than Iran's PressTV (Not exactly an honest group of chaps), that Iran discovered a massive Helium deposit 6-7 months ago...Like, a quarter of the worlds total reserves massive.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/201960.html

Im skeptical about how truthful it is...But, if its true im sure the import costs, if they allow it to be sold, wouldnt be too extreme for the close future.

But with regards to your original discussion things;

Yes i think it'll be possible to start Lunar Mining in the next 8 years, but i dont think it'll be financially feasible, until the rest of the world reserves of Helium start to go bye-bye, which according to your article is nearer 'end of this century' timescale...However, I can remember reading about a group interested in mining Asteroids for precious metals, despite the HUGE cost. So there are smart people thinking about this stuff already, i think it was off a TED presentation. And like the article says, resource depletion could be the catalyst to get our sorry collective asses off this rock and onto another nearby rock.

As for the 'social' uses of helium, i kind of agree with making it uber expensive as i didnt actually realise just what i could be used for...Just use some celotape to stick the balloons to a wall or a roof or whatever, screw hand held balloons they just get let go after a while anyway and float off aimlessly, or just use a solid hand-stick thing like you used to get in Burger King

Even before i read your reference to Moon, i couldnt get that film out of my head...Im sure some company would love to try that, but i reckon it'd get rumbled after a while and they'd face a stern talking to from some organisation. Robots on the other hand would probably be a better idea. No need for breathing environments, or food or even comfort...Just some dude to go pay them a visit every now and again to make sure they're not a rusting pile of junk. Although i realise we're someway away from making totally autonomous robots capable of mining stuff on their own, especially when they encounter problems such as the Independence Day aliens or whatever.

As for a profit from lunar mining? If the reserves get so low as to warrant even consideration of a lunar mining venture, then im sure whoever can make that happen will be in a profit.

If your article is anything to go by, when the reserves of helium do become empty on Earth, we'll probably be;

a) extinct, our own fault or otherwise
b) so technologically/socially backwards we'll have more pressing matters to attend to, such as survival (Post apocalyptic stuff à la Fallout)
c) be advanced enough to either already have a 'base' on the Moon, or set one up without much bother

Hopefully it'll be C...

p0intman · 2012-05-28, 02:16 AM

Originally Posted by dachlatte

You read the post(i suppose you read the whole post) and this is all that stuck with you?

I really don't have a use for helium in my every day life. I bike and walk pretty much everywhere. I'm not really worried, as such, about any shortage of it. We're going to come to a point where the lack of a supply will spur humanity as a species to seek out different methods and sources to overcome the shortage of any commodity, be it natural gas, or helium or wood or anything else. Will we have a 'dark age of science and rocketry'..? No, I'm not inclined to believe that right now. I believe if anything, its a fire being lit under our collective asses to force us to look for other elements and uses for them to replace them.

Just as destruction spurs re-creation of things, depletion of a resource spurs innovation to overcome it. There isn't anything to be afraid of. Humans haven't come this far to let this stop us in our tracks.

So, RIP balloons being used for comedy.

dachlatte · 2012-05-28, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by p0intman

I really don't have a use for helium in my every day life. I bike and walk pretty much everywhere. I'm not really worried, as such, about any shortage of it. We're going to come to a point where the lack of a supply will spur humanity as a species to seek out different methods and sources to overcome the shortage of any commodity, be it natural gas, or helium or wood or anything else. Will we have a 'dark age of science and rocketry'..? No, I'm not inclined to believe that right now. I believe if anything, its a fire being lit under our collective asses to force us to look for other elements and uses for them to replace them.

Just as destruction spurs re-creation of things, depletion of a resource spurs innovation to overcome it. There isn't anything to be afraid of. Humans haven't come this far to let this stop us in our tracks.

So, RIP balloons being used for comedy.

Still couldn't hurt to use use our resources economical and responsible.

p0intman · 2012-05-28, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by dachlatte

Still couldn't hurt to use use our resources economical and responsible.

You're right, it wouldn't hurt. Its a very good idea.

The reality is a bit different, because corporations and the government (a massive corporation really) exist to make money. Being responsible is often times contrary to making money. There isn't any real way to force people who make those calls to be responsible, so there likewise isn't much of a reason to worry about it until we're forced to find something else.

bigcracker · 2012-05-28, 06:01 AM

Originally Posted by dachlatte

You read the post(i suppose you read the whole post) and this is all that stuck with you?

To be honest, I was gonna say the same thing but he beat me to it.

Baneblade · 2012-05-27, 09:45 PM

No Goodyear Blimp? Darn.

Warborn · 2012-05-28, 03:15 AM

The US isn't running out of helium, it's selling it all. That is to say, there is less helium freely available in the US, but that's only because its politicians decided to sell it all for a buck. Overall, there isn't a helium shortage. It's abundant for its use and anyone who needs it can get enough stockpiled to last them. In the future it may be an issue, but that's a ways off. Either way its price is so low that it isn't going to be an issue for a long time.

Electrofreak · 2012-05-28, 08:50 AM

Originally Posted by Warborn

The US isn't running out of helium, it's selling it all. That is to say, there is less helium freely available in the US, but that's only because its politicians decided to sell it all for a buck. Overall, there isn't a helium shortage. It's abundant for its use and anyone who needs it can get enough stockpiled to last them. In the future it may be an issue, but that's a ways off. Either way its price is so low that it isn't going to be an issue for a long time.

The problem is really more about Helium-3 reserves than Helium-4.

Mr DeCastellac · 2012-05-29, 12:02 AM

Originally Posted by Warborn

The US isn't running out of helium, it's selling it all.

Running out of helium and selling it all aren't mutually exclusive. When we sell it all, we run out.

So yes, we are running out.

Warborn · 2012-05-29, 07:48 AM

Originally Posted by Mr DeCastellac

Running out of helium and selling it all aren't mutually exclusive. When we sell it all, we run out.

So yes, we are running out.

And the US is an isolated nation existing in some pocket dimension with no access to the world at large? When the US sells all its own reserves then people within the US want to buy helium they'll have to buy it from places elsewhere in the world. The prices may or may not be slightly higher, but helium is still very abundant and nobody who needs it within the confines of the United States will be forced to do without on account of scarcity.

In fact, I imagine any labs or whatever which use helium often probably have very substantial reserves of it on-hand so as to prevent price fluctuations in the future from costing them a buck.

Baneblade · 2012-05-29, 10:41 AM

If it is so critical, why aren't they recycling it whenever possible?

Mr DeCastellac · 2012-05-31, 12:36 AM

Originally Posted by Warborn

And the US is an isolated nation existing in some pocket dimension with no access to the world at large? When the US sells all its own reserves then people within the US want to buy helium they'll have to buy it from places elsewhere in the world. The prices may or may not be slightly higher, but helium is still very abundant and nobody who needs it within the confines of the United States will be forced to do without on account of scarcity.

You misunderstand the whole point of this. We're going to run out of helium. Importing a gas would be quite difficult, I imagine, and the price would skyrocket, not "...be slightly higher..."

Originally Posted by Sobekeus

If it is so critical, why aren't they recycling it whenever possible?

I'm not entirely sure, but it must be tough to recycle helium. Maybe it's used up in the experiments. Plus, I think a large chunk of the blame goes towards balloons and , most of which probably float away or pop leaks, releasing the helium into the air.