how Is Helium Produced? :: essays research papers

"How Is atomic number 2 Produced?"Production Although Helium is one of the most common elements in the universeit is a rare gas on earth. It exists in the atmosphere in such small quantities(less than five parts per million) that recovering it from the air isuneconomical. Helium is produced as a by-product of the refining of indwelling gas,which is carried out on a commercial scale in the USA and Poland. In these areasnatural gas contains a relatively high concentration of Helium which hasaccumulated as a result of radioactive decay of heavy elements within theearths crust. Helium is supplied to distribution centres throughout the worldin liquid phase angle in bad cryogenic containers. The Helium is filled into liquidcontainers, gas cylinders and cylinder packs as necessary.History of Helium Production Government involvement in helium conservationdates to the Helium Act of 1925 which authorized the Bureau of Mines to buildand operate a large-scale helium extraction and p urification plant. From 1929until 1960 the federal organization was the only domestic helium producer. In 1960,Congress revise the Helium Act to provide incentives to natural gas producersfor stripping natural gas of its helium, for secure of the separated helium bythe government, and for its long-term storage. With over 960 million cubicmeters (34.6 billion cubic feet) of helium in government storage and a largeprivate helium recovery industry, questions arise as to the need for either thefederal helium extraction program or the federally maintained helium stockpile.In a move which would take the federal government out of the helium business,Congress passed the Helium Privatization Act (H.R. 873) as part of the Seven-Year balance Budget Reconciliation Act of 1995 (H.R. 2491). Although themeasure died when the President vetoed the Budget Act on December 6, 1995, theAdministration has made a goal the privatization of the federal helium program.On April 30, 1996, the House suspende d the rules and passed H.R. 3008, theHelium Privatization Act as agreed to in the House-Senate conference on theBudget Act. Subsequently, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committeeamended the bill to provide for the National Academy of Sciences to study howbest to dispose of the helium reserve. On phratry 26, 1996, with limited timeremaining for the 104th Congress, the House once more suspended the rules and passedH.R. 4168, a new bill containing the Senate Committee language. This would avoidthe need for a conference if the Senate would also pass the same bill. TheSenate did so on September 28, 1996. This report reviews the origin and