Helium

Physical Properties

• Helium is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas at room temperature and atmospheric pressure.

• Its boiling point is -268.93 °C and its freezing point is -272.2 °C.

• Helium is the second lightest element in the atmosphere, behind hydrogen.

Production

• Helium is usually extracted from natural gas reserves. The proportion of helium in natural gas varies from region to region.

• Helium is separated by special processing of natural gas.

Areas of Use

• Refrigeration Use: Helium can become liquid at low temperatures. Because of this property, it is used in scientific research, cooling superconducting magnets and other cryogenic (low temperature) applications.

• Balloons: Helium is a gas used in flying balloons. Because it is lighter than other gases, it can carry balloons upwards.

• Wave Tubes: Helium is used inside wave tubes in electronic and optical applications.

• Aerospace Research: Helium is used as a light gas in rockets and balloons where hydrogen cannot be used due to its lower density.

General Properties

• Helium is much rarer in the atmosphere than other gases and world reserves are limited. For this reason, it has been replaced by other gases in some applications.

Safety

• Helium is an inert gas and is not itself dangerous. It is non-flammable and does not react under normal conditions.

Helium is a gas used in applications that operate at particularly low temperatures and in certain applications in the aerospace industry. However, due to its limited reserves, alternative gases are being explored to replace it in some cases.