Editing Helium (section)

===Extraction and use===
{{Globalize|section|date=February 2022|discuss=Talk:Helium#Other history}}
[[File:Kansas Helium Marker.jpg|thumb|Historical marker, denoting a massive helium find near [[Dexter, Kansas]]]]
After an oil drilling operation in 1903 in [[Dexter, Kansas]] produced a gas geyser that would not burn, Kansas state geologist [[Erasmus Haworth]] collected samples of the escaping gas and took them back to the [[University of Kansas]] at Lawrence where, with the help of chemists [[Hamilton Cady]] and David McFarland, he discovered that the gas consisted of, by volume, 72% nitrogen, 15% [[methane]] (a [[combustible]] percentage only with sufficient oxygen), 1% hydrogen, and 12% an unidentifiable gas.<ref name="nbb" /><ref>{{Cite journal|author = McFarland, D. F. |title = Composition of Gas from a Well at Dexter, Kan |volume = 19|pages = 60–62 |date = 1903 |journal = Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science |doi = 10.2307/3624173|jstor = 3624173}}</ref> With further analysis, Cady and McFarland discovered that 1.84% of the gas sample was helium.<ref>{{cite web | title = Discovery of Helium in Natural Gas at the University of Kansas | website = National Historic Chemical Landmarks | publisher = American Chemical Society | url = http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/heliumnaturalgas.html | access-date = 2014-02-21 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140226053732/http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/heliumnaturalgas.html | archive-date = 2014-02-26 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|author = Cady, H. P. |last2=McFarland|first2=D. F.|title = Helium in Natural Gas |journal = Science |volume = 24 |issue = 611|page = 344 |doi = 10.1126/science.24.611.344 |date = 1906 |pmid = 17772798|bibcode = 1906Sci....24..344D |s2cid=27441003 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1447970}}</ref> This showed that despite its overall rarity on Earth, helium was concentrated in large quantities under the [[American Great Plains]], available for extraction as a byproduct of [[natural gas]].<ref>{{Cite journal|author = Cady, H. P.|author2 = McFarland, D. F.|title = Helium in Kansas Natural Gas |journal = Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science |volume = 20 |pages = 80–81 |date = 1906|doi = 10.2307/3624645|jstor = 3624645}}</ref>

Following a suggestion by Sir [[Richard Threlfall]], the [[United States Navy]] sponsored three small experimental helium plants during World War I. The goal was to supply [[barrage balloon]]s with the non-flammable, lighter-than-air gas. A total of {{convert|5700|m3|ft3|abbr=on}} of 92% helium was produced in the program even though less than a cubic meter of the gas had previously been obtained.<ref name="enc" /> Some of this gas was used in the world's first helium-filled airship, the U.S. Navy's [[C-class blimp]] C-7, which flew its maiden voyage from [[Hampton Roads, Virginia]], to [[Bolling Field]] in Washington, D.C., on December 1, 1921,<ref>{{Cite book |editor=Emme, Eugene M. comp. |editor-link=Eugene M. Emme |title=Aeronautics and Astronautics: An American Chronology of Science and Technology in the Exploration of Space, 1915–1960 |date=1961 |pages=11–19 |chapter=Aeronautics and Astronautics Chronology, 1920–1924 |chapter-url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/Timeline/1920-24.html |publisher=[[NASA]] |location=Washington, D.C. |access-date=2006-10-27 |archive-date=2019-07-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714112810/https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/Timeline/1920-24.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> nearly two years before the Navy's first ''rigid'' helium-filled airship, the [[Naval Aircraft Factory]]-built [[USS Shenandoah (ZR-1)|USS ''Shenandoah'']], flew in September 1923.

Although the extraction process using low-temperature [[gas liquefaction]] was not developed in time to be significant during World War I, production continued. Helium was primarily used as a [[lifting gas]] in lighter-than-air craft. During World War II, the demand increased for helium for lifting gas and for shielded arc [[welding]]. The [[helium mass spectrometer]] was also vital in the atomic bomb [[Manhattan Project]].<ref>{{Cite book|chapter=Leak Detection|last=Hilleret|first=N.|publisher=[[CERN]]|title=CERN Accelerator School, vacuum technology: proceedings: Scanticon Conference Centre, Snekersten, Denmark, 28 May&nbsp;– 3 June 1999 |editor=S. Turner |location=Geneva, Switzerland|chapter-url=http://cdsweb.cern.ch/record/455564 |chapter-format=PDF| date=1999 |pages=203–212 |doi=10.5170/CERN-1999-005.203 |quote=At the origin of the helium leak detection method was the Manhattan Project and the unprecedented leak-tightness requirements needed by the uranium enrichment plants. The required sensitivity needed for the leak checking led to the choice of a mass spectrometer designed by Dr. A.O.C. Nier tuned on the helium mass.}}</ref>

The [[government of the United States]] set up the [[National Helium Reserve]] in 1925 at [[Amarillo, Texas]], with the goal of supplying military [[airship]]s in time of war and commercial airships in peacetime.<ref name="enc" /> Because of the [[Helium Act of 1925]], which banned the export of scarce helium on which the US then had a production monopoly, together with the prohibitive cost of the gas, German [[Zeppelin]]s were forced to use hydrogen as lifting gas, which would gain infamy in the [[Hindenburg disaster]]. The helium market after World War II was depressed but the reserve was expanded in the 1950s to ensure a supply of [[liquid helium]] as a coolant to create oxygen/hydrogen [[rocket fuel]] (among other uses) during the [[Space Race]] and [[Cold War]]. Helium use in the United States in 1965 was more than eight times the peak wartime consumption.<ref>{{Cite journal| doi = 10.2307/3627447| author = Williamson, John G.| title = Energy for Kansas| journal = Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science| volume = 71| issue = 4| pages = 432–438|date =1968| jstor = 3627447}}</ref>

After the Helium Acts Amendments of 1960 (Public Law 86–777), the [[United States Bureau of Mines|U.S. Bureau of Mines]] arranged for five private plants to recover helium from natural gas. For this helium conservation program, the Bureau built a {{convert|425|mi|km|adj=on}} pipeline from [[Bushton, Kansas]], to connect those plants with the government's partially depleted Cliffside gas field near Amarillo, Texas. This helium-nitrogen mixture was injected and stored in the Cliffside gas field until needed, at which time it was further purified.<ref>{{Cite journal|journal = Federal Register|date = 2005-10-06|volume = 70|issue = 193|page = 58464|url = http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/05-20084.pdf|title = Conservation Helium Sale|access-date = 2008-07-20|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081031082452/http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/05-20084.pdf|archive-date = 2008-10-31|url-status = live}}</ref>

By 1995, a billion cubic meters of the gas had been collected and the reserve was US$1.4&nbsp;billion in debt, prompting the [[Congress of the United States]] in 1996 to discontinue the reserve.<ref name="nbb" /><ref name="stwertka">Stwertka, Albert (1998). ''Guide to the Elements: Revised Edition''. New York; Oxford University Press, p. 24. {{ISBN|0-19-512708-0}}</ref> The resulting [[Helium Privatization Act of 1996]]<ref>{{USPL|104|273|Helium Privatization Act of 1996}}</ref> (Public Law 104–273) directed the [[United States Department of the Interior]] to empty the reserve, with sales starting by 2005.<ref>{{Cite book |url = http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309070384 |title = Executive Summary |publisher = nap.edu |access-date = 2008-07-20 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080327004306/http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309070384 |archive-date = 2008-03-27 |url-status = live |doi = 10.17226/9860 |year = 2000 |isbn = 978-0-309-07038-6 }}</ref>

Helium produced between 1930 and 1945 was about 98.3% pure (2% nitrogen), which was adequate for airships. In 1945, a small amount of 99.9% helium was produced for welding use. By 1949, commercial quantities of Grade A 99.95% helium were available.<ref>{{Cite book|publisher=Bureau of Mines / Minerals yearbook 1949|date=1951|last1=Mullins|first1=P. V.|last2=Goodling|first2=R. M.|title=Helium|pages=599–602|url=http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/EcoNatRes/EcoNatRes-idx?type=div&did=ECONATRES.MINYB1949.PVMULLINS&isize=text|access-date=2008-07-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206011210/http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/EcoNatRes/EcoNatRes-idx?type=div&did=ECONATRES.MINYB1949.PVMULLINS&isize=text|archive-date=2008-12-06|url-status=live}}</ref>

For many years, the United States produced more than 90% of commercially usable helium in the world, while extraction plants in Canada, Poland, Russia, and other nations produced the remainder. In the mid-1990s, a new plant in [[Arzew]], Algeria, producing {{convert|17|e6m3|e6ft3|abbr=off}} began operation, with enough production to cover all of Europe's demand. Meanwhile, by 2000, the consumption of helium within the U.S. had risen to more than 15 million kg per year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://minerals.usgs.gov/ds/2005/140/helium-use.pdf|title=Helium End User Statistic|access-date=2008-07-20|publisher=U.S. Geological Survey|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080921114913/http://minerals.usgs.gov/ds/2005/140/helium-use.pdf|archive-date=2008-09-21|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2004–2006, additional plants in [[Ras Laffan Industrial City|Ras Laffan]], [[Qatar]], and [[Skikda]], Algeria were built. Algeria quickly became the second leading producer of helium.<ref name="wwsupply">{{Cite journal
 |title=Challenges to the Worldwide Supply of Helium in the Next Decade |last1=Smith|first1=E. M. |last2=Goodwin|first2=T. W. |last3=Schillinger|first3=J. |journal=Advances in Cryogenic Engineering |volume=A |issue=710 |pages=119–138
 |series=49
 |date=2003 |doi=10.1063/1.1774674 |bibcode=2004AIPC..710..119S|s2cid=109060534}}</ref> Through this time, both helium consumption and the costs of producing helium increased.<ref name="Kaplan2007">{{cite journal
 |last=Kaplan |first=Karen H. |date = June 2007|title=Helium shortage hampers research and industry
 |periodical=[[Physics Today]] |publisher=[[American Institute of Physics]]
 |volume=60 |issue=6 |pages=31–32
 |doi=10.1063/1.2754594
|bibcode = 2007PhT....60f..31K }}</ref> From 2002 to 2007 helium prices doubled.<ref name="Basu2007">{{Cite news |last=Basu |first=Sourish |editor-last=Yam |editor-first=Philip |date=October 2007 |title=Updates: Into Thin Air |access-date=2008-08-04 |periodical=Scientific American |publisher=Scientific American, Inc. |volume=297 |issue=4 |page=18 |url=http://www.sciamdigital.com/index.cfm?fa=Products.ViewIssuePreview&ARTICLEID_CHAR=E0D18FB2-3048-8A5E-104115527CB01ADB |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206032004/http://www.sciamdigital.com/index.cfm?fa=Products.ViewIssuePreview&ARTICLEID_CHAR=E0D18FB2-3048-8A5E-104115527CB01ADB |archive-date=2008-12-06 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{{as of|2012}}, the [[National Helium Reserve|United States National Helium Reserve]] accounted for 30 percent of the world's helium.<ref name="Newcomb">{{cite magazine|first=Tim|last=Newcomb|url=https://newsfeed.time.com/2012/08/23/theres-a-helium-shortage-on-and-its-affecting-more-than-just-balloons/|title=There's a Helium Shortage On—and It's Affecting More than Just Balloons|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=21 August 2012|access-date=2013-09-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131229061210/http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/08/23/theres-a-helium-shortage-on-and-its-affecting-more-than-just-balloons/|archive-date=29 December 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> The reserve was expected to run out of helium in 2018.<ref name="Newcomb" /> Despite that, a proposed bill in the [[United States Senate]] would allow the reserve to continue to sell the gas. Other large reserves were in the [[Hugoton Natural Gas Area|Hugoton]] in [[Kansas]], United States, and nearby gas fields of Kansas and the [[panhandles]] of [[Texas]] and [[Oklahoma]]. New helium plants were scheduled to open in 2012 in [[Qatar]], Russia, and the US state of [[Wyoming]], but they were not expected to ease the shortage.<ref name="Newcomb" />

In 2013, Qatar started up the world's largest helium unit,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.airliquide.com/en/qatar-start-up-of-worlds-largest-helium-unit.html |title=Air Liquide {{pipe}} the world leader in gases, technologies and services for Industry and Health |access-date=2015-05-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140914141342/http://www.airliquide.com/en/qatar-start-up-of-worlds-largest-helium-unit.html |archive-date=2014-09-14 |date=19 February 2015 }} Air Liquide Press Release.</ref> although the [[2017 Qatar diplomatic crisis]] severely affected helium production there.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/06/26/middle-east-turmoil-is-disrupting-a-vital-resource-for-nuclear-energy-space-flight-and-birthday-balloons|title=Middle East turmoil is disrupting a vital resource for nuclear energy, space flight and birthday balloons|date=26 June 2017|work=washingtonpost.com|access-date=26 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170626211653/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/06/26/middle-east-turmoil-is-disrupting-a-vital-resource-for-nuclear-energy-space-flight-and-birthday-balloons/|archive-date=26 June 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> 2014 was widely acknowledged to be a year of over-supply in the helium business, following years of renowned shortages.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gasworld.com/2015-what-lies-ahead-part-1/2004706.article |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150117012529/http://www.gasworld.com/2015-what-lies-ahead-part-1/2004706.article |archive-date=2015-01-17 |work=Gasworld |date=25 December 2014 |title=2015 – What lies ahead? Part 1 |last=Cockerill |first=Rob |access-date=15 September 2021}}</ref> Nasdaq reported (2015) that for [[Air Products]], an international corporation that sells gases for industrial use, helium volumes remain under economic pressure due to feedstock supply constraints.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nasdaq.com/article/will-air-products-apd-earnings-surprise-estimates-in-q2-analyst-blog-cm470472|title=Will Air Products' (APD) Earnings Surprise Estimates in Q2? - Analyst Blog|date=April 28, 2015|website=NASDAQ.com|access-date=August 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715085145/https://www.nasdaq.com/article/will-air-products-apd-earnings-surprise-estimates-in-q2-analyst-blog-cm470472|archive-date=July 15, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>