Helium - The Facts

We quite often get asked if we hire out Helium Cylinders, or sell "Disposable" Helium Tanks. The answer to the question of disposable cylinder sales is always "No" on the grounds that we feel it goes against our environmental goals.

However, hiring cylinders is a totally different question and one that can not be answered without knowing more about the circumstances surrounding the event.

For instance, if you are working to a tight budget and think that buying your balloons, weights and ribbon off an internet auction site or other online store, then hiring a helium cylinder to inflate your balloons the day before the party is the way forward, you will be suprised at how the costs add up to more than a professional balloon decorator would have charged, and your party balloons will be on the floor before the party starts.

If however, you manage a car showroom, and want balloons around your showroom and forecourt on a regular bases, then hiring a helium cylinder is the best option.

Here are a few facts about helium that hopefully explain why we are protective about our most precious commodity-

- Helium is recovered from natural gas deposits, where it accumulates over millions of years as a product of radiocative decay.

- Some natural gas deposits have as much as 7% helium. Such deposits have been found in Texas, Russia, Poland, Algeria, China and Canada. Helium extracted from these natural gas reserves is the single source of helium.

- It is believed the world helium resources – excluding those of the United States – totals 15.1 billion cubic meters. It is estimated that the United States has helium resources of 11.1 billion cubic meters.

Uses of helium other than for party balloons!!

Because it is inert, liquefied helium has a number of applications. 24% of the world helium is used in cryogenics to freeze biological materials for long-term storage and later use. It is also used in welding and to create controlled atmospheres. It is used to detect leaks in pipes, pressurise liquid-fuelled rocket tanks and is even useful for cooling nuclear power plants.

Deep-sea divers breathe a mixture of helium and oxygen to avoid the problems caused by breathing ordinary air under high pressure. Mixtures of helium and oxygen have proven to be useful in treating people with severe asthma or lung problems.

45% of the worlds consumption of helium is for use in supercooled magnets. The liquid gas cools the wire in the magnets so that they have no electrical resistance and a current induced in the wire flows practically forever. These are used for Magnetic Resonance Imaging to scan the human body and for large-scale scientific research projects such as particle physics and nuclear fusion. Most people are certainly familiar with the use of helium as a lighter-than-air substance. It holds up our birthday balloons. The motorized blimps that hover over sports stadiums are also held up by helium.

With all these important uses, where will be be if this limited resourse runs out?